


King for a Day

by AsherTye



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluffy, Impersonation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-16
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-05 11:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 66,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/722633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsherTye/pseuds/AsherTye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the whole fiasco with Titan Tails, a Zone Cop uses Tails Prime as a body double for a counterpart that has gone missing from his own universe.  The problem: the guy is a royal prince.  Now, Tails must make sure his counterpart’s coronation ceremony goes off without a hitch without letting anyone know he isn’t the true prince.  It’s just one of those days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Back to the Cosmic Interstate

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Sonic, Tails, and everyone else are owned by Sega and Archie Comics respectively, depending where you recognize them. Characters you don’t recognize, such as Garivald, Synthia, and Valnin belong to me. This story is based in the Archie Comics’ Sonic the Hedgehog universe.
> 
> Author’s Note: The idea for this story actually came to me in dream. Truthfully, what is written didn’t happen, and it sounds more like the end of a series to me. If anyone else who reads this thinks the same, they are free to use the idea of the story for themselves, and good luck to them. I should also warn you, Antoine appears in this story and, though he’s actually one of my favorite characters, I’ve never actually been able to get his speech down correctly. That, coupled with my complete lack of knowledge of how to spell French words, means it may be a bit difficult to understand him.

“Sonic, slow down or we’ll miss it!” Tails screamed as his cobalt friend tore through Knothole with the kit on his back. As if by magic, Sonic the Hedgehog, the reported fastest thing alive, came to a screeching halt right in front of the chilidog stand the duo had been heading to for lunch.

“Me, miss a chilidog stand? Surely thou dost jest, little bro. I would think you would sooner bet on Sniveler to beat ol’ Buttnik in a pie eating contest than me miss a chilidog stand,” the hedgehog said in a mock offended voice that never failed to make Tails laugh. 

“Ha ha, silly me, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Tails answered with equal sarcasm as he hopped off his best friend’s back. “So how many chilidogs you wanna get?”

“I’m starving big guy, I could eat a whole… well looky there,” Sonic said as he stopped dead in his tracks, an action that was in and of itself so unusual as to cause Tails to look more at Sonic than at the stand. 

Ever since Sonic’s popularity had skyrocketed amongst the people of Mobius, everyone was trying to emulate him, and that had meant a huge growth in the number of chilidog eaters in Knothole. As such, it was not uncommon to see normally sparsely populated stands filled almost to capacity. Nothing could have prepared Tails for the sight that greeted him though. Sitting on a stool at the bar was a familiar figure clad in a blue robe.

“Uncle Merlin?” Tails asked just as the elderly fox took a bite from the dog in his hand. After the fiasco with Mammoth Mogul and Ixis Naugus, Tails’s uncle had decided to live in Knothole so he could be close to his only relation still planet side. Slowly, the vulpine sorcerer turned his head toward his nephew, quickly swallowing the food in his mouth before speaking.

“Miles,” Merlin said, glad to see his young relation as he affectionately scratched the young kit’s ear. Then Merlin turned his smile towards Sonic in a similar fashion of greeting, though he forwent the ear scratch. 

“Merlin, I didn’t know you liked chilidogs.”

“I am a firm believer in trying new things, Sonic, and that includes chilidogs.” So saying, Merlin gulped down the remainder of his meal in two bites. “But as it happens, I was also waiting for you to show up, Miles. I have something I wanted to show you in my house.”

“Cool, what is it?” Sonic answered before Tails could respond. For a brief second, a look of worry passed across Merlin’s face, though it was quickly replaced by the same grin he’d previously been wearing.

“I’m afraid it’s a bit of a surprise Sonic. And unfortunately, it is one that won’t keep for very long.”

“But we haven’t even eaten yet,” Tails whined, not liking the idea of food so close being yanked from his plate, even if it was being done for a present.

“I understand, and I promise that when we get back, I will happily buy you as many chilidogs as you want.”

“Ha, careful you don’t make promises your wallet can’t cash there Merlin,” Sonic said. “Still, if it’s that important, I guess Tails and I can take time out of our busy schedule to take a look.”

“You are most gracious, your ‘Royal Quickness,’” Merlin responded, doing his best to put as much false humility into the words as possible. Quickly, the elder fox lay a few mobiums on the counter to pay for his meal before standing up. “Now then, without further ado, I suggest we head over to my place.”

When Merlin had chosen to live in Knothole, King Elias, out of respect for one of his father’s oldest friends, had offered the former court magician lodging at the palace. Merlin had politely refused, opting instead to transport his cottage home to Knothole magically and placing it next to Sonic’s family’s home. Though Tails remained living with the Hedgehog family, it often comforted him to know that he finally had a real live relative living so close by. It was at this structure that the trio stopped moments later.

The cottage, made of ancient logs and wood, looked somewhat out of place next to all the newer homes that had actually been built around the indigenous trees of the forest. Some had said it was disrespectful to the plants that had sheltered the rebellion against Robotnik in its infancy, but such protestations had come to naught. From within his robes, Merlin pulled forth a ring of iron keys which he used to unlock the door to his house and all three entered.

Immediately, Sonic knew something was wrong. For one thing, the inside of the cottage looked nothing like he remembered it. The door had opened up into what felt like a very tight room lined with computers and screens. For the second thing, the entire room was on its side. The click of a lock locking made Sonic and Tails turn around to see that the wooden door that had been right side up when they entered had transformed into a wide metal door that lay on its side, just as “Merlin” was now standing on the wall/floor also perpendicular to them.

“Oh no!” Sonic groaned as he slapped his forehead in exasperation. “Not you perpendicular dorks again!”

“Language, please, Sonic, there are children present,” the fox who had conned him said. “My apologies for having to trick you, but I am under something of a time constraint right now and could not risk you saying no.” So saying the fox proceeded to move forward into the room, sitting in a chair that stood before a small console. “N.I.K.O.L.E., activate engines and set course for our destination please.”

“So, where’s Zonic?” Tails asked as Sonic began pounding his head against the wall/ceiling of what was now obviously a ship.

“Not here I’m afraid, which has a bit to do with the current crisis the Zone Cops are facing. I am the perpendicular counterpart to your Uncle Merlin. You may call me Nilrem is you feel so disposed to,” Nilrem said, before turning to Sonic. “And would you please stop doing that Mr. Hedgehog, before you break something.”

“Okay, okay. So what reason NOW do the Zone Cops have for busting into my universe and kidnapping me?”

“Actually, I am not a Zone Cop, Sonic. All the Zone Cops are currently busy with the crisis I mentioned earlier. I am more of a field scientist and am acting to buy them some time. And I should point out you were not the one I was supposed to get. We need Tails’s help. Unfortunately, I did not have time to wait for you two to become separated, so I had to bring you along as well.”

“So what’s wrong?” Tails asked, more concerned with the danger to the multiverse than whether or not they had been tricked.

“As you are no doubt aware, the multiverse consists of countless universal realities all running ‘parallel’ to one another, if I may use so simplistic a description. Your universe is the Prime Universe, the reality without which the entire multiverse falls apart.”

“Yeah yeah, Zonic covered this about a year ago,” Sonic said, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the particulars of that little assignment. 

“Yes, well, what you may not know is that while your reality is singular in that respect, there are other universes that share a slightly similar status, known to us as Hub Universes.”

“Say wha?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered why it appears that denizens from certain other universes are able to cross into your own so easily whereas others cannot? You do realize that if other Sonics could traverse the barriers of the Cosmic Interstate as easily as Anti-Sonic did, your world would be inundated by thousands of counterparts.”

“So what keeps that from happening?” Tails asked.

“A universal molecular resonance frequency that is absolutely unique to each universe. And the more radically different one frequency is from another, the more difficult it is for denizens of one universe to traverse the void to another. The rational mind uses the concept of distance to perceive these differences. Hub Universes are those universes that sit at the ‘cores’ of clusters of such similarly resonating universes. It’s actually quite fascinating and something the perpendicular scientists have been working on understanding for…”

“Getting back to the crisis,” Sonic interrupted, sensing a monologue of science babble. Nilrem blinked as his train of thought was interrupted. 

“Oh yes. Pardon me, but I can’t help but enjoy talking about my work,” Nilrem said as a picture of Mammoth Mogul appeared on the screen in front of him. “Some months ago, the entity known as Mammoth Mogul attempted to destroy all realities in an effort to remake the multiverse in his own image. Before he could attack the Perpendicular Universe or Mobius Prime, Zone Cop Zonic entered your world and retrieved both you and Mr. Prower here, hoping to use Tails’s status as the Chosen One to defeat Mogul and save the Multiverse.”

“I don’t remember this,” Tails said, a fact echoed by Sonic.

“Yes, well, I will explain about that shortly,” Nilrem said, as the computer continued to illustrate his story. “In order to assist Tails in defeating Mogul, Zonic also took care to rescue all of his counterparts from each Universe before Mogul destroyed them. This tactic resulted in you merging with your counterparts to become the nigh omnipotent entity known as Titan Tails.” As Nilrem spoke, a picture of a gigantic, muscle-bound fox appeared. Sonic reacted to the image by letting out a loud laugh, a sentiment Tails echoed quietly as he looked at the ridiculous looking image. “I know. Our savior was not quite how we envisioned him. My best guess is that the enormous form was an attempt to reconcile the large number of physical bodies that went into making him without costing any of the counterparts their existence.”

“Anyway, after Mogul was defeated, Titan Tails used his powers to restore the Multiverse. He then erased all memory of the event, save for those of us from the Perpendicular Universe, and sent his component Tailses back to their home realities; a truly generous act that was about ninety-eight percent successful.”

“Wait, so, how many mes didn’t make it back to their homes?”

“Only a few hundred, which the Zone Cops were very quick to round up and return before anyone was the wiser… uh, save one.” Once again the screen changed to a picture of Tails, though this was clearly not the same fox that Sonic had always known. His body looked slightly plumper and less firm; as though he had gone through none of the rigorous training the real Tails had gone through to become a Freedom Fighter. In addition, this Tails wore a small crown on his head and a coat similar in design to the one Elias had worn before he had been crowned King of Mobius. “May I present Prince Miles Elias Prower, sole heir to the House of Acorn and the future ruler of his world… and the only counterpart we have yet to find in this entire stinking cosmos.”

Tails looked at the picture, his eyes widening as his jaw dropped. Suddenly, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted dead away.

*******

Tails’s eyes blinked as he slowly regained consciousness, thanks in part to the foul smelling salts Sonic was waving under his snout. 

“I think he’s coming to,” Sonic said as he handed the vial back to Nilrem.

“Oh, good, I don’t think there’s time to select another candidate for this mission,” Nilrem said as his hand moved over the controls.

“Mission?”

“Yeah, Nilrem explained it to me while we were trying to revive you. He needs you to take this ‘Prince Miles’s’ place until the Zone Cops can locate him.”

“But if he’s been missing for months, why the sudden urgency?”

“Actually, for his reality, it’s only been a few weeks. We’ve been using a temporal shifter to slow the passage of time relative to the rest of the multiverse. Unfortunately, the mechanisms used to pull this off are becoming a terrible stain on the universe at large and on our N.I.K.O.L.E. computer program in particular. She will not be able to keep the universe out of synch much longer.”

“How long?”

“A day at the most, maybe a few hours, and then that reality will force itself back into the time-stream.”

“So you guys have to find him before then?”

“Not with you on board. You see the problem is Prince Miles has been missing for so long without any trace that soon his father, King Acorn, will have no choice but to declare him dead, an act that will strip him of his claim to the throne.”

“I feel for the guy, but I don’t see the problem as long as he returns home healthy. Can’t Sally or Elias take the job?” Tails asked.

“Kiddo, Nilrem says they don’t exist,” Sonic replied. Tails looked to his uncle’s counterpart for confirmation of this fact.

“I’m afraid it’s true, in this reality, neither Sally nor Elias was ever born. Without you, that is without him, the royal couple have no heir apparent to the throne. Without one, the next in line would be the Royal Advisor.”

“Robotnik,” Tails said, almost hissing the name.

“Uh, no actually, it’s a badger named Garivald. Believe it or not, this version of Robotnik is actually quite good, and somewhat friendly to boot. It’s Garivald who’s the problem, particularly since he’s been trying to eliminate your double ever since it became apparent that the majority of the Mobian nobles would not block Acorn’s choice for a successor.”

“So why hasn’t this guy been arrested if he keeps trying to kill me?”

“He may not be as powerful as your Robotnik is, but he does possess a great deal of cunning and resources. He knows that if he loses his position, none of his plans mean anything so he’s careful about keeping himself from being a suspect. Only a few others actually know what he’s doing and unfortunately, only three of them are on your side.”

“Great,” Tails said in a less than excited tone.

“The problem is, if Garivald claims the throne, N.I.K.O.L.E. has predicted a maximum time frame of about five years before a civil war results in the chaos emeralds being forcibly ignited and the entire universe is destroyed. And, since this is a Hub Universe, its destruction will also destroy every other alternate universe which shares ‘proximity’ with it by virtue of having a similar resonance frequency.” At that news, both Sonic and Tails visibly balked. “Now then, Tails, if you would kindly come over here, I have a file that summarizes Prince Miles’s life as best we could so you’ll have some knowledge of what to expect when you get there.”

“And what do I do while Tails is busy doing his ‘Prince and the Pauper’ thing, help you guys find Miles?”

“That is a job best left to those trained to do it, Sonic,” the elder fox said as he pulled up the file for Tails to read, turning the monitor sideways for the non-perpendicular fox’s benefit. “I’m afraid I really don’t know what to do with you. This world is not missing its Sonic. In fact he will be one of the Mobians Tails will have to fool into believing he is the Prince.”

“What?! You think I’m just gonna let my little buddy go waltzing around a strange Mobius all alone for Walkers know how long?”

“Actually, it will only be about two weeks at the longest, time that will actually accelerate here due to this world attempting to synchronize with the rest of the multiverse. After that, it will no longer matter whether or not Prince Miles is found.”

“Why not,” Tails asked, turning from the monitor?

“Because, in two weeks time, Prince Miles is supposed to undergo his Rite of Ascension ceremony, where he will officially be recognized as the Crown Prince. On that day he will be expected to wear the Crown of Acorns on his head. The problem is, once the Crown, made from the Source of All of his world, sits atop your head, it will immediately reveal you to be an imposter to the King, an act that will end our little charade most effectively I would imagine.”

“Okay, so you guys have to find the Prince before then.”

“But what about me,” Sonic asked again?

“As I said, I wasn’t really planning anything with you, and I don’t intend to abduct this world’s Sonic simply to satisfy your over-protective feelings towards Tails.” At Nilrem’s explanation, Sonic’s shoulders slumped. “Look if I can find a way, I’ll see if I can’t sneak you into this reality. The more help we have on our side the better. In the mean time, Tails needs to study that dossier while I prepare an appropriate scenario to let him safely infiltrate the Mobian Royal Family.”


	2. The world he never knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Zone Cops' plan is set in motion, Tails gets a taste of what Mobius was like before the coup.

“MILES!”

“YOUR HIGHESTNESS!!”

Two voices called out at their loudest through the humid air of Dengir Swamp. The first belonged to a cobalt blue hedgehog wearing a medallion with a horse’s head stamped on it around his waist like a belt and a rough brown backpack. His hands were covered in leather gloves that looked as though they’d been rubbed roughly for quite some time. The second voice belonged to a brown coyote wearing a blue jacket with red trim, sporting patches on its shoulders that resembled stars. At his side was a saber and his face was contorted in something of a disgusted look as he and the hedgehog pawed their way through the dank murk and muck of the swamp.

“Soneec, Geoffrey’s men spent four of zhe days dredging zhis terreeble swamp. Surely if zhe Prince was here, zhey would have found heem, yes?”

“Geoffrey,” Sonic snorted. “Antoine I wouldn’t trust that stupid skunk and his troopers to find the tails growing outta their butts, let alone our missing Prince.” So saying, the blue hedgehog once more cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, “MILES!!”

“Sonic…” came the weak sound of a distant but familiar voice. Immediately the two Mobians turned their heads in the direction the sound had come from.

“Ant did you hear...?”

“Oui, Soneec, I most certainly did,” Antoine said grabbing onto Sonic’s shoulder just as the blue hedgehog took off at lightning speed. “PRINCE MILES!! WE ARE COMING!! WHERE ARE VOUS?!”

“MILES! SOUND OFF IF YOU CAN HEAR US KID!”

“I’m down here! In a hole!” Sonic continued to speed in the direction of the call while Antoine’s ears shifted on his head to determine where exactly it was coming from. Finally, the duo stopped at the tangled, knotted trunk of a large swampy tree that stood with its roots half in and half out of the water. The trunk of the tree sat above what looked like a very large sinkhole in the swamp where water was slowly seeping in. Carefully leaning on the wet roots, Sonic looked down the hole.

“Miles?”

“Sonic, I’m down here. ” came Tails’s voice as he looked up at the hedgehog he was attempting to fool.

“Walkers! Hold on kid, we’ll get you outta there in a jiff.”

“Please hurry, Sonic, this place is filling with water too fast and the sides are too slippery to climb up,” Tails said, sounding frightened, an easy thing to do considering he was telling the truth. Nilrem had been most thorough in creating an authentic rescue scenario.

Reaching into his backpack, which he had tossed to the ground, Sonic pulled forth a length of rope, tossing one of its ends to Antoine. 

“Ant; tie that to a tree, then get over here.”

“Oui, oui, Sonic, I will do this immediately,” the French coyote said as he complied with Sonic’s command. Carefully, Sonic began to slink and slither his way into the hole with Antoine keeping a firm grip both on one of his ankles and on the rope. In the darkness, Tails’s muck covered orange fur was somewhat difficult to see, but Sonic found him quickly anyway; up to his waist in grayish mucky water and clinging to the side of the hole for dear life. The blue hedgehog stretched his body to the max, trying to grab his foxy friend’s outstretched hand, only to barely brush fingertips with him.

“Ant, I need a few more inches!”

“We are stretched to zhe limit mon ami. Unless…” Sonic suddenly felt himself being pulled up a bit before being lowered significantly again. “I only hope your shoey laces are treis unbreakable.” Realizing he now only had a few thin strings holding him up; Sonic grabbed his friend’s hand. As he tried to pull up on Tails however, he realized the kit’s now wet fur made him too heavy for Sonic to lift from this position.

“Miles, you gotta climb up me and get to Antoine.”

“But what if your laces snap? How will you get out?”

“Don’t worry about me, Prince, just get yourself to safety.” Not trusting the hedgehog’s laces to last for much longer, Tails scrambled up the spiny blue “rope,” sorely tempted to assist his ascent by twirling his tails a bit. Before he could act on the impulse, however, he remembered a rather important fact contained in Prince Miles’s dossier; he had never learned how to fly with his tails. Tails knew for a fact that his demonstration of such a skill would immediately send up red flags in his “friends’” minds. Finally he made it up to Antoine who looked like his arms were about to fly out of their sockets as he gripped both Sonic’s laces and the rope. Quickly, the young Freedom Fighter helped to cut him some slack as he grabbed Sonic’s legs and together they pulled the blue hedgehog back up.

Safe now on solid (albeit soggy) land, everyone took a quick moment to catch their breath. Suddenly, Tails found himself in two vice-like grips as the two elder Mobians began squeezing him in their arms.

“I don’t believe it, we finally found you little bro!” Sonic said, tears coming to his eyes as held his friend.

“Oui it is an event most fortunate, our lost longed Prince has been founded,” Antoine said. “Oh you had everyone so worried we were practically besides ourselves twice.”

“What happened, Miles? We all just went to bed one night and then you were nowhere to be found. It was like you’d dropped off the face of Mobius.”

_~You’re not far off there Sonic,~_ Tails thought.

“Oh yes, it was so harrowing. Everyone was desperate to being finding you. Zhe King even… even… ZHE KING!! Zut alores, he does not know we have finded his son yet, nobody does. Zhey must all still be looking like he might be dead!” Quickly Antoine raised his wrist to his mouth. “Antoine D’Coolette to zhe palace. Be picking up on me please now.” From the watch the coyote wore on his wrist, the audible sound of static could be heard as the communicator built into it transmitted Antoine’s message. A few seconds later, a crackly voice could be heard.

“This is the Communications Hub at Castle Acorn, who’s using this frequency?”

“It is me, Antoine D’Coolette…”

“And Sonic Hedgehog!”

“We are contacting you from zhe swamp.”

“Antoine? Oh for the love of… if this is about the muck in your shoes, might I remind you that you and Sonic were not supposed to go into Dengir Swamp. Now stay off this frequency before I…”

“Nonononono, we have found him, we have found Prince Miles. Tell zhe King, tell zhe guards, tell everyone. Zhe Prince, he is safe.”

“What?! Are you sure?”

“Yeah he’s sure,” Tails said loud enough for the communicator to pick him up.

“Your Highness?! Don’t let him out of your sight you two, and don’t move. I’ll have a hover transport out to you in two shakes, they’ll home in on your signal.”

“Yeah don’t worry, we don’t plan to go anywhere,” Sonic said.

“Are you hurt Prince Miles, do you need us to send a medical team?”

“No, I don’t feel hurt.”

“Very well. Sit tight then.” With that the communicator fell silent. Exhausted from their ordeal, as well as the emotional strain of being reunited, the three friends spent the next few minutes catching their breath. Soon, a familiar sound cut through the swamp air as a familiar looking egg-shaped hover-unit painted in the red and blue colors of the Kingdom of Acorn stopped and descended near them. As the machine set down on the swamp land, its door opened and out stepped the gigantic form of a horse dressed in shining armor, an ornately engraved broadsword at his side.

“Sir Connery!” Sonic yelled happily, waving to the horse knight.

“Squire!” Connery yelled back, a smile on his face as he almost leapt out of the transport and over to them. Then he spied Tails. “Your Highness! It does my heart glad to find you hale and hardy after so long. Their Royal Majesties will be positively ecstatic over your return, I am sure.”

“They couldn’t come,” Tails asked, somewhat dejectedly?

“Your father, King Maximillian, is coordinating the search efforts back at the palace and your mother, Queen Alicia, is with him. Mine was the closest party to your position so I was ordered to retrieve you. Speaking of which...” Sir Connery placed two meaty fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. As if by magic, two stoats appeared bearing a litter between them. Scooping Tails up in his big arms, the Knight of Acorn gently placed the young “Prince” into the litter before turning his attention to Sonic and Antoine. “Do either of you require any assistance getting to the transport?”

“No sir,” Sonic said, saluting his mentor as he stood up. Antoine simply nodded to Connery.

“Thank you, monsieur but I am quite able to move myself.” 

“Excellent. Then let us leave. I’m sure the King and Queen are quite eager to see their son.” With that the two stoats carried Tails into the transport. Once everyone was secure in their seats, the hover-unit began its ascent and made its way towards the capital city of the Kingdom of Acorn; Mobotropolis. 

As the craft approached the city, Tails gave a small gasp in amazement as it came into view. Born just before Robotnik took control of the planet, Tails had never seen the city of Mobotropolis whole and clean. Then of course its remains as Robotropolis had been leveled to dust when he’d reversed the city’s force field to trap the nuclear missiles Station Square had launched at it. Now though, for the first time, he was getting to see the city in all its glory and he had to admit he was very impressed. And there, sitting in the center, was the crown jewel of the city; Castle Acorn. Whitestone towers rose into the air with walls that had survived everything from natural disasters to deadly bombs linking them. Three massive gates provided the only access to the equally massive keep that served as the primary residence of the Royal Family. 

_~My family,~_ Tails thought absently before mentally correcting himself. _~No,_ Prince Miles’s _family.~_ Even as he thought those words, he couldn’t help feeling a little jealous.

“Hey big guy, what’s up?” Sonic suddenly asked, breaking the young kit’s concentration. 

“What do you mean Sonic?”

“You look like you’re seeing ol’ Mobotropolis for the first time. Is something wrong?”

“No, I’m just… just glad to be ‘home’ Sonic, that’s all.”

“Treis bien, maybe now you will stop all this fuelish gallivanting off into zhe wildest and I can concentrate on returning my fur from zhe gray to zhe red,” Antoine said; a smile on his face that looked somewhat alien considering the way his counterpart acted in Tails’s reality. 

“We’ll be landing soon, Your Highness. Dr. Quack wishes to examine you for any problems before anything else, and I’m sure Dr. Robotnik will want to debrief you as to your whereabouts for the past few weeks,” Connery said, turning his head back to look at the trio. “And I’m sure your parents will be equally eager to see you too.” 

As Connery had said, the transport landed gently a few moments later and the stoats, once again holding onto the litter, carried Tails straight to the castle’s medical wing where the familiar form of Dr. Quack waited. 

“Hmm. Well at first glance you certainly don’t look like someone who’s been missing for almost three weeks. I don’t know whether to be glad, or concerned,” the duck doctor said as he placed his stethoscope on Tails’s chest. Slowly but surely, Quack continued examining the “Prince’s” body, looking for any evidence of injury, even going so far as to draw blood. 

“Well, aside from the leech we pulled off his leg, Prince Miles seems fit as a fiddle,” Dr. Quack declared as he finished his tests. “I would like to wait until the blood work comes back from the lab before I pronounce anything for certain.”

“Puzzling,” came a deep voice that sent a shiver of terror down Tails’s spine. Standing in the doorway was none other than Robotnik himself, wearing the outfit he had worn on Mobius Prime when he had served as Minister of War. Tails had to quietly remind himself that in this reality, Robotnik was not the villain, but instead an ally. In front of the egg-shaped Overlander, though, stood two squirrels wearing clothing of superb cut and crowns that marked them as royalty, King Maximillian and his wife Queen Alicia. Both looked at him with a mixture of relief and concern.

“‘Mom’, ‘Dad,’” Tails said, putting on his cutest and most welcoming smile. If he had to fool anyone, it was the two of them most of all. 

“Miles,” King Acorn said, his voice retaining the formal objectiveness Tails had come to associate with the squirrel king. “We were so worried, what happened to you my son?”

“I… I don’t really know,” Tails said, trying to sound as though he were racking his brains for an answer. “All I remember is going to sleep and then… I was in that hole in Dengir Swamp.”

“Could he have hurt himself, Doctor,” Queen Alicia asked?

“I don’t think so, Your Majesty,” Dr. Quack answered. “I performed an X-Ray of the young Prince’s head and found no indication of damage.”

“If I may Your Majesty,” Robotnik interrupted, “that was a very traumatic night for the entire kingdom. You may recall everyone claiming to have experienced the same exact nightmare.”

“Of the giant mammoth destroying the world? Yes I remember that most… vividly.” From the looks on the faces of everyone else in the room, Tails could guess that held true for them all. It was probably preferable for them to never know the event had not been a dream after all.

“Be that as it may, you are home again, son,” Queen Alicia said, striding elegantly over to the table upon which the fox prince sat and kissing him on the cheek. “I can only thank the Walkers for that, and I am sure the kingdom will thank them too.”

“Yes, we are most pleased at your safe and timely return, my son. Now we can recommence with the preparations for your Rite of Ascension.” With that the King turned on his heel and left.

“Is he mad at me?” Tails asked, honestly curious. Queen Alicia gave him a sideways hug.

“Oh I think he is more relieved than anything else. He may not be able to show it well to you, but he was frightened out of his mind that you weren’t going to be found,” the female squirrel said. Then she turned towards Sonic and Antoine. “Squire Sonic Hedgehog, Young Antoine D’Coolette. You have the undying gratitude of both my husband and myself for finding and returning Miles to us. It would seem Sir Connery, that you have done a fine job in training your squire here. And General D’Coolette should be most proud of having so brave and reliable a son.” Saying that, the Queen turned to leave; pausing before the door. “Dr. Quack, I shall be sending for the Prince’s nanny, Rosie, to come here. Once you have pronounced him fit to leave, I think he would do well with a good night’s sleep in his own bed.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“I trust that will not be a problem, Dr. Robotnik,” the Queen asked the overlarge Overlander.

“Any questions I need to ask him can wait until tomorrow I suppose,” the egg shaped humanoid replied. “Though I will want to post a watch outside his door for tonight; just to make sure we do not lose him again you understand.”

“I myself shall stand watch over the young Prince this night,” Sir Connery said, saluting the Queen, an action mimicked by Sonic. 

“It’s good to have you back, big guy,” Sonic said as he and Connery left to prepare for the watch, a sentiment echoed by Antoine as he left as well. The last to leave was Robotnik, a fact that made Tails’s skin start crawling all over him.

“Good night, my Prince, I shall see you tomorrow,” the rotund doctor said, only increasing the kit’s uneasiness.

“Interesting,” Dr. Quack stated. “Your heart rate jumped almost twenty percent while Robotnik was around. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost swear you were afraid of him.” The duck laughed at his own joke, never even guessing how true it was. 

A few minutes later a female beaver strode into the infirmary with a purple, knit wool shawl over her shoulders that Tails instantly recognized.

“Rosie!” the young kit exclaimed happily.

“Miles,” the nursemaid answered quietly before grabbing her young charge and hugging him affectionately, tears appearing in her eyes. “I almost didn’t dare to hope, but here you are, alive and well. I am so happy.”

“I missed you so much.” Tails felt a little guilty saying this. After all, he wasn’t actually the Miles she thought he was. A sickened lump appeared in his stomach as he considered the possibility of her Miles really being unable to ever come home. _~All the more reason for Nilrem to find him quickly.~_

“Now then, let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. Are you hungry dear?”

“Famished,” Tails answered quite truthfully since he had been plucked for this assignment in the middle of lunch. With a wave to Dr. Quack the two left.

********************

“Your Majesty? Is everything all right?” Dr. Robotnik asked as he approached his monarch.

“Yes and no, Ivo,” King Acorn stated. “I am quite pleased that my son has been returned to me, but at the same time, I am FURIOUS with the arrogance of MegaCentral.”

“Ah, I take it this has to do with my brother,” at this word Robotnik almost spit, “Colin Kintobor and his allusion as to the Prince being in MegaCentral.”

“Do you think there is any chance Miles was in their city?”

“To be blunt, Colin never did say or even offer any proof that your son was in his possession. That, coupled with the fact that he was found in Dengir alone and relatively unharmed, leads me to believe the ‘Grand Protector’ was simply trying to manipulate your emotions for his own benefit.”

“Grrr. I shall have to send Colin a message communicating my displeasure,” the King said in a voice that was at once both calm and even as well as menacing and furious.

“Sir, may I suggest that we focus on the more immediate concerns. Colin is a pain but at the moment he’s a distant one and your son’s Rite of Ascension ceremony is only two weeks away,” Robotnik interjected. “I should point out that this is an important event, even more so than for any other prince before him. If Miles does not succeed in satisfying a solid majority of the noble houses that he is indeed worthy of the crown, they will never support his right of succession, especially given the fact that he is not an Acorn by blood.”

“Yes, you are right my friend. After all the effort he put into it, everything he has accomplished, I know I was right to choose him as my heir. By the end of the ceremony, the nobles will concur.”

“That is the hope, Your Majesty. This is why I think Miles would best be helped by providing an absence of distractions such as a provoked Overlander attack.”

“Very well, we shall deal with Kintobor later,” the King said, his body language indicating that the subject was closed. “Speaking of the ceremony, how are security measures progressing?”

“Geofferey assures me that the Secret Service is completing a rundown of all possible cracks in security. He also informs me as to some unwelcome activity moving through the kingdom. It seems…”

*************************

Tails stared wide-eyed, taking in the room that was his counterpart’s in this reality. He could easily have dropped three or four copies of his room back in Knothole into this one, and still have room to spare for a closet. And as if the room did not have enough space in it, a huge window framed by heavy curtains opened up onto a large balcony. Inside, a large bed with a canopy took up a generous amount of the available floor space, while a full fledged desk sat at the wall opposite. Bookshelves bracketed the main door; a sideways glance at them relaying that they were mostly fiction; fantasies designed to entertain a young mind thirsty for excitement. Near the bed stood a wardrobe in which the kit could guess resided all the outfits and costumes he would be expected to wear for whatever occasion presented itself, while normal day to day wear was most likely inside the closet near the desk. Next the head of the bed stood a nightstand on which stood a cushion on which rested a small yet familiar circlet of platinum, his crown. Finally, near the balcony an easel, some paint brushes, and other art supplies stood; the canvas on the easel depicting a half finished picture.

_~So apparently for Prince Miles, painting was a hobby too,~_ thought Tails. Then in an absent mindedly soft voice he added, “But where are the toys?”

“Oh, Miles, your toys are in the playroom,” Rosie answered thinking he was talking to her. If she thought anything strange about him needing to be reminded of something like that, she gave no sign. 

“Ah Prince Miles, you are certainly looking much better,” came the booming voice of Sir Connery as he and Sonic approached.

“Yeah, :yawn: you actually look like Prince Miles rather than some walking ball of muck ha ha,” Sonic added; a statement that caused Connery to give him a gentle rap on the noggin. Tails had to admit he felt like a prince, especially considering the blue silk pajamas he was now wearing.

“All right, that’s enough I think. Time for all future monarchs to go to bed,” Rosie commanded. She took Tails’s hand gently, picked him up, and placed him in the large plush bed, pulling the sheets and comforter up to his chin once he was in.

“Good night my Prince,” the beaver said as she turned out the light and left, closing the door behind her as Sonic waved him good night. For a few brief moments, Tails lay still as a statue underneath the covers, listening as the knight and his squire settled into place outside. Once he had judged neither would be barging in for any “surprise inspections,” Tails rolled over onto his side and got out of the bed. As silently as his Sonic had taught him to be, the kitsune tiptoed over to the easel. Nilrem’s file on Prince Miles had been fairly thorough given how little time he’d had to make it, but all it had given were objective facts. Such things were able to tell Tails a bit about the fox he was trying to impersonate, but as his interactions with Rosie and Sonic had clearly shown, he needed to know how Prince Miles reacted and thought. 

On the half-painted canvas was a picture of a cream colored rabbit chasing after a very familiar two-tailed fox that looked like he was going to be showing some fright. Tails couldn’t help but feel there was a good story behind the whole scene. Using the ambient moonlight, Tails made his way over to the desk as he continued his search. If Prince Miles was anything at all like Tails, he had to have a stash of mementos from various events in his life, and the desk seemed as good a place to search as any. What he found, however, seemed infinitely better. A book, a journal, written in a handwriting the fox instantly recognized as his own, lay in the upper right drawer of the desk. Now all Tails needed was a light and he could read the book. Getting an idea into his head, the young Freedom Fighter returned with the book to “his” bed and began to feel around where the mattress met the headboard. Sure enough he found a small penlight at the bottom of the mattress.

_~Exactly what I would have,~_ Tails thought with a smile as he pulled the covers over his head and turned on the penlight. Holding it in his mouth, he laid the journal on his lap and began to read. Apparently his royal counterpart was not in the habit of making daily entries, preferring to write only when something “worth” writing came up in his life; which it did with alarming regularity. Tails had thought Antoine simply joking when he’d commented on the Prince’s penchant for going off on adventures, but it now appeared that in the absence of a steady stream action coming to them, Sonic and Miles were in the habit of going out and finding their own; and causing major problems for a majority of this reality’s less scrupulous individuals. The adventures weren’t always as dangerous and critical as the ones Tails found himself on, but Miles was far from what his prime variant had thought of when he’d discovered the royal title the kit bore.

_~Then again, if he were just a spoiled pretty boy, he probably wouldn’t be a Prower.~_

Idly, Tails wondered if he would behave any different with his Sonic if they didn’t have the war with Robotnik to occupy them. Though the side of him that believed himself to be mature and responsible wanted him to answer no, the more truthful and rational side couldn’t help but point out all the times HE’D disobeyed orders and gone off for an adventure, either with or without Sonic.


	3. In the Gardens of Acorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Tails continues his masquerade, sinister forces seek to thwart him. But, of more pressing concerns may be the young rabbit trying to crush him.

Morning came all too quickly for Tails as the sun shone into his room and onto his face. Still wanting to sleep, the fox cub rolled over and drew the heavy comforter up over his head to block the annoying sun.

“Now now, we mustn’t be like that. There is a big day ahead, and we must be ready to face it,” said a sweet voice as the comforter was pulled away and the sun allowed to shine on him again.

“Mweh, nyah, don’t wanna get up,” Tails said groggily as he struggled to cover his face. “Tell Sonic he can whump Blubber-bolts without me today.”

“Blubber-bolts? Are you still dreaming Prince Miles?” the voice asked.

“Prince? Where’s a…” Suddenly Tails’s eyes shot open as he remembered the events that had transpired the day before. Startled at what he’d said, he sat straight up in bed and found Rosie standing next to it, a tray of food nearby; his breakfast.

“My but we’re excitable today,” Rosie said with a smile. Carefully she placed the tray over the kit’s legs, giving Tails only a few precious seconds to stash the journal he’d been reading the previous night under his pillow as he straightened himself up to see his breakfast. Pancakes and fruit sat before him, with a glass of apple juice to wash it all down.

“Uh, I was kinda hoping to eat with Mother and Father,” Tails said, taking his cue from the way both Prince Miles and Princess Sally referred to the King and Queen. At this Rosie gave a short chuckle.

“Why Miles sweetie, you know that by this time his Highness the King is most likely deeply embroiled in the matters of the day. Besides which you have to eat breakfast quickly, my sister Julayla wants to see you for lessons.”

“Doesn’t being missing mean I get to take a few days off, you know, to get back into the swing of things?”

“Regrettably, Prince Miles, I’m afraid all it means is that you have much to catch up on,” came the voice of a gray female tabby cat wearing spectacles and a blue dress. “And I would prefer if you not speak in that dreadful slang you keep picking up from Sonic; it is most unbecoming to a prince.”

“You don’t change much from reality to reality do you,” Tails stated under his breath as a bead of sweat appeared on the back of his head.

“Did you say something?” Julayla asked.

“I uh… said uh… what would you like me to do for you?” Tails stammered out, a sheepish grin on his face. “Surely there’s a reason you sought me out instead of waiting for me to come to you, right?”

“Yes there is. I thought you would like to know that Duchess Vanilla and her daughter, Lady Cream, will soon be arriving at the palace. Apparently when news of your return came to them, Ms. Cream insisted on her mother bringing her here to make sure you were all right. Given the lady’s exuberance where you are concerned, I thought it best to give you some warning so she wouldn’t accidentally catch you in your nightclothes.” 

“Cream’s here!” Tails said with a start that almost sent the tray of food flying to the floor. He had read in the journal about the girl who’d been chosen as Prince Miles’s future bride.

“Not yet, though I imagine she will be momentarily. While the Duchess visits with the Queen, you will, of course, extend your fiancé every courtesy, and kindly not try to leave her behind like you did last time.”

“I didn’t mean to be rude, but would you really have been comfortable if me and Sonic took her into Mobotropolis with us?”

“First off it is ‘Sonic and I,’ and secondly, I’m not all together comfortable with you being in Mobotropolis with only a single squire as an escort, no matter how able that squire may be.” 

“Its not like it’s my fault she can’t keep up.”

“Miles, Duchess Vanilla is one of the most influential nobles who completely support your father. She is a kind and understanding woman who has been known to overlook and outright forgive much in the way of boorish and offensive behavior, particularly from a certain two-tailed young noble. Please do not give her cause to believe she suffered an error in judgment when she decided to back the King over the matter of… you.” This last part Julayla struggled to say, as though trying to make sure what she said could not cause him any pain. Tails imagined that the fact that Prince Miles was an adopted prince and was the subject of some controversy amongst the royal court often did leave the fact that he could lose his claim to the throne something of a touchy subject. Carefully, he looked away, embarrassed at having forced Julayla to bring it up.

“I’ll be on my best behavior, Lady Julayla, don’t worry,” Tails finally said. Then, just loud enough for everyone to hear, he continued. “So long as she doesn’t try to kiss me again. Blech.” At this last part, Julayla actually cracked a smile.

“She is something of an affectionate little girl.” So saying the cat turned to leave. “Oh yes, we will be suspending lessons for today in the face of Lady Cream’s impromptu visit, but that will not excuse you from practice this evening for your Rite of Ascension ceremony. I look forward to seeing you then Prince Miles.” And just like that, Julayla was gone. Knowing what lay in store for him, Tails quickly ate his breakfast, trying to be careful not to make a mess. While he was occupied, Rosie pulled forth one of many blue jackets with a red cut and a pair of black shoes for him to change into. Once he had changed, the nursemaid quickly began to tame the wild tufts of fur sitting on top of his head, a task that seemed to prove more difficult than moving Mt. Mobius as Tails’s stubborn hair, used to being only barely kept under control, vehemently refused to stay put. Finally the ritual was complete and Tails looked at himself in the mirror.

_~Sharp,~_ he concluded. Still new to the castle itself, Tails asked Rosie if she would accompany him to the reception hall, overly utilizing a gallant and proper voice to get her to smile. As they walked past a long series of windows in a corridor, Tails looked out to see that the windows overlooked the training grounds the knights used to practice and teach. Sure enough Sir Connery and Sonic were present with a slew of other knights, squires, and pages. So caught up was Tails in watching the spectacle below that he never noticed the other person standing right in his path until he found himself on the floor. 

Towering over him stood a badger dressed in an impeccably kept blue and red tunic with gold cut. On his left breast was a badge depicting an acorn sprouting into a mighty oak, the coat of arms for the House of Acorn. On his face was a contemptuous scowl Tails knew all too well.

“Lord Garivald, what a surprise to see you,” Rosie said as the scowl vanished from the badger’s face as if it never was. With a friendly smile he turned to the beaver.

“Miss Rosie, it warms my heart to see you this fine morning,” Garivald said, taking Rosie’s hand and kissing it. “Almost as much as it warms me to know that the stories I heard last night of our ‘beloved’ prince’s return to us are true.” With a flourish, the Royal Advisor offered his hand to Tails and helped him to his feet. 

“Thanks,” Tails said, meaning exactly the opposite.

“Of course, your ‘majesty.’ Now I suppose you will want to run along now and meet up with your fiancé? I understand her mother’s carriage has just entered the city.”

“Oh yes. Come along Prince Miles.” With that, Rosie reclaimed her charge’s hand as they continued on their way. As they left, Tails cast a cautious glance back at the badger, who once more wore a face of utter contempt.

**********************

“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!” Garivald screamed as he sent a chair sailing into a wall of his tower rooms. “We were this close, THIS CLOSE!” To illustrate his point, he squeezed his finger and thumb close together. “It wasn’t even a matter of a day; it was hours, minutes, SECONDS!”

“Raging about it won’t change the facts of the matter, Garivald,” came a disembodied voice. 

“It is LORD Garivald, Synthia, do not test my patience on today of all days,” the badger yelled. Suddenly, several monitors turned on all around the room as the computerized entity known as Synthia made her presence known.

“Given that I do not possess an organic form, it is unlikely you would be able to harm me, Lord Garivald. And given the need you have for me, it becomes even more unlikely you would attempt to destroy me,” the computer said in a voice that was a cross between disinterest and reproach.

“Forgive me Synthia, I apologize for taking my anger out on you, it was most inexcusable,” Garivald said, regaining control of himself as he stroked one of the monitors affectionately. “Sometimes I lose my temper and I forget just how sensitive you can be.”

“I understand. You are organic and your emotions do have the power to get the better of you. Might I suggest, however, that we turn our attentions to more pressing matters, such as the approaching ceremony?” At her words, Garivald once more ground his teeth in anger. 

“That miserable little commoner. For all I know this was all a plan of his to throw us off guard. How many plans did we have to get rid the brat that are useless now because he’s been missing for so long?” Garivald dropped himself into a padded easy chair. “It’s so unfair, so miserably unfair. I should be next in line for the throne, not some… ORPHAN the king took pity on.” Suddenly, Garivald became aware of a black figure hanging above his head. “Arachnis, when did you get here?”

“I came as soon as I heard the news of the Prince’s return,” the ninja spider said in her silent hiss of a voice. “I knew you would need my services, especially with how quickly your window of opportunity is closing.”

“Arrogant spider. If your services were of any use, explain to me how the commoner is still alive.”

“Would you prefer me to leave? I can if you wish.” So saying, Uma began to crawl back up the wall.

“Wait,” Garivald finally said before she reached the ceiling. “At this late juncture, I do believe we would be benefited greatly by the addition of your skills. Now if only I could come up with plan.”

“It’s a pity the Overlanders didn’t have the Prince, they’d be the perfect scapegoats to take the rap for his death,” Synthia said.

“Yes, but unfortunately I don’t think Kintobor would be willing to let me take the throne.”

“Then perhaps what we need is someone else with a reason to despise the royal Prince,” Synthia said as a picture of a giant lion with a huge axe in his hand appeared on the screen. Garivald’s lips stretched as he exposed his teeth in a vicious smile.

***************************

“Miles!”

“ACK,” was the only word Tails was able give out as he was suddenly tackled to the floor by a cream colored rabbit wearing a bright red dress and two purple ribbons in her ears!

“Oh, Miles, I was so worried. When Mummy and I heard you were missing we were positively beside ourselves. Oh, all I could think about was you in one of those awful Overlander cages or trapped on an island or buried in a tunnel or…”

“Cream thank you but I… I understand but… there wasn’t any… CREAM YOUR ELBOW IS COLLAPSING MY RIBS!!” Tails finally managed to say, attracting the girl’s attention. Finally she realized that she was indeed hurting “her” future husband and got up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Cream said in a much more rational voice, curtseying as she did so. “It was just… I was so happy to see you.” Tails remained on the floor for a few seconds more catching his breath before pulling himself up again. From somewhere in the hall, he could almost swear he heard a familiar snickering sound.

“Its okay Cream, I guess I’d act the same way if someone I cared for just disappeared and reappeared without any explanation.” That was when Tails noticed the sparkles dancing in the young lady’s eyes as she clasped her hands before her.

“Miles, that’s the first time you’ve ever referred to me as Cream and not Lady Cream.”

_~DOH!!~_

As she spoke, Cream latched onto Tails’s arm.

“You’re finally not thinking of me as some long distance ally, but as your wife,” she said happily, a statement that quickly reminded Tails of Amy Rose. Plaintively he looked towards his “mother” for help, only to find her smiling along with the Duchess Vanilla as they looked on at what they no doubt considered two “lovebirds.”

“Vanilla, let us give these two some privacy, I would very much like your opinion on the decorations I’ve been ordering for Miles’s big day.”

“Of course Your Majesty, I would be honored to offer my opinion.” With that the two grown-ups walked off.

“Wait, don’t leave me…” Suddenly, Queen Alicia’s head popped back in.

“Miles, if you like, you can take Cream for a walk in the gardens. I’m sure she’d appreciate that and I’m sure you’d see some of your little friends out there too.”

“Oh, yes, that would be lovely,” Cream agreed, curtseying again towards the Queen. The problem of locating the gardens was negated as Tails once more found himself being guided through the castle grounds, this time by Cream who had a death grip on his hand as though she was sure if she let go, he would simply evaporate.

Soon they found themselves outside on an expansive open lawn decorated in flowers, bushes, trees, benches, and walkways that resembled much more of a small park than a garden. Sally had once told him that her father employed some of the world’s best gardeners to maintain the grounds of the palace, something that was quite obviously true in this reality. Truthfully, though, Tails didn’t see the big deal. Having lived in the Great Forest for most of his life, the two-tailed fox failed to be impressed by the somewhat strangled state of the plant life at the royal palace. As he looked around, Cream finally let go of his hand, moving over to a bed of tulips and beginning to sniff at them. 

“Oh, Miles, aren’t these beautiful?”

“I prefer wildflowers myself, like daffodils,” Tails commented absently as he spotted a group of well-dressed children playing a game in the grass. Cream looked up from her tulips and followed her vulpine beau’s gaze.

“You’d rather go over there and play instead of sniff at flowers, wouldn’t you?” Cream asked in her characteristically quiet tone of voice. Afraid he’d offended her, Tails turned around to console the young kitten only to find her staring at him with an understanding smile on her face. Now he felt really guilty as his interest in the other children had been more curiosity than a desire to join them. “It’s all right. We so rarely get seen together one would think you were ashamed of me,” she said in a joking voice. Arm in arm, though more on Cream’s part than on his, the two made their way over to group. As they approached, Tails was quite surprised to see Antoine holding a wooden mallet as he struck a wooden ball through a metal hoop in the ground. Upon seeing Tails, the aristocratic coyote shouldered his mallet and approached the two nobles.

“Prince Miles, it is so good to be seeing you out on zhis fine and sunny day,” Antoine said as he bowed. Then he looked at Cream and took her hand, placing a kiss on its back as he knelt before her. “And Lady Cream, you are looking treis magnifique as always.”

“Monsieur D’Coolette, you should be careful or Miles might think you’re trying to steal me away from him,” Cream said with a giggle. The trio’s conversation was interrupted by a loud guffaw as an otter came forward.

“Here now, D’Coolette if you’re not going to play, you can at least tell us so,” the otter said in a nasally voice that almost reminded Tails of Snively.

“Jes, jes, Harold, I am not stopping. But you cannot expect me to be ignoring zhe Prince himself.” For the first time the other children noticed Tails was present and immediately all took a knee before him.

“Your Majesty, you must forgive me for not noticing you sooner. It is so rare that you deign to visit us, I’m afraid I just assumed you were somebody else,” the otter said. “I am Harold Darsche the Third, son of Minister Darsche.”

“Yes yes, I think I remember you,” Tails lied in his most pompous sounding voice. In all actuality, he was mimicking the way HIS Antoine always sounded to him, an amusing irony, at least to the fox himself.

“I must admit it is something of a surprise to see you here and not in the company of that… hedgehog you favor so much. Though I suppose when one is in the presence of a lady, one would not wish to be in such… company,” Harold said, his tone of voice conveying exactly what he thought of such “company.” For a brief moment Tails fought the urge to punch the arrogant and disapproving otter in the face.

“Sonic is busy right now training with Sir Connery,” Tails finally said through gritted teeth. “I wouldn’t want to appear rude and bother him.”

“And besides, maybe I shall get to see Squire Sonic later,” Cream said, somewhat oblivious to what had been going on.

“If you wish to, milady,” Harold said. “Now then, Prince Miles, may we interest you in a game of croquet?” So saying, the aristocrat held out the handle of one of the mallets, which Tails waved off.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to play,” he said. Apparently this answer was quite funny as it got a resounding laugh from most of the children present.

“Don’t know how to play?” a bluebird asked with glee. “What kind of noble doesn’t know how to play croquet?”

“I suppose this is what comes when one spends all of their free time gallivanting around with miscreants,” a jaguar commented.

“If Your Majesty would like,” Antoine said in a surprisingly firm and authoritative voice, “I would be most happy to teach you zhe fundamentals of zhe game. It is actually a most simple sport and I am sure we would be most glad to start over so that our future KING may join us.” This last part the coyote said with a nasty glance back towards his friends, one that got most to stop their laughing and wisecracks.

“Oh yes, we would love to play,” Cream said before Tails could reply. “You boys do not mind if I join in the game as well, do you?” After receiving a negative response from the collected group, Cream and Tails picked up a mallet each, an act that caused some minor giggling when they both reached for the same mallet at first.

As Antoine had suggested, the game was restarted for the benefit of the “Prince,” with Tails receiving the honor of going first. After an abysmal start, the two-tailed fox found himself quickly becoming better, his natural talent for accuracy making getting through each wicket increasingly easier. One thing that did bug him, however, was how many of the other players were cheating. The odd thing was that they seemed to be cheating to try to help him win while at the same time trying to score as close to him as possible. Tails silently growled as he recognized the ploy as a way to suck up to him, hedging their bets just in case he did become King. For a brief moment he considered letting his game slip to force them to work harder at their endeavor. Unfortunately, he never got the chance, as an arrow arrived to interrupt the game.


	4. A pact made in darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the attempt of 'Prince Miles' life foiled, the King calls for better security. Meanwhile Tails gets a lesson in politics with this new world. And underneath it all, Garivald strikes a bargain with a dangerous ally.

Tails didn’t know what made him do it. If anyone were to have asked him about it later, he might have used his Freedom Fighter training as a reason. Whatever the cause, Tails listened to his instincts and dove for the ground, taking Cream with him, as an arrow whizzed through the space his head had only moments ago occupied and buried itself in the ground behind him. The effect of the flying instrument of death was immediate as all of the kids began screaming their heads off and stampeding for cover. Quickly Tails, a frightened Cream in tow, rolled out of the way as two more arrows, these coming from a different direction, struck the ground the two children had occupied only a short moment before. As the sound of more arrows whistling through the air reached his ears, Tails realized he didn’t have time to get to safety and crawled over the frightened Cream to shield her from the attack. His eyes and teeth clenched tight as the kit quietly anticipated the pain of an arrow striking him, but the he heard the sound of the arrows as they bounced off what could only be a metallic surface. Casting a glance behind him, Tails saw a familiar horse holding his shield up to deflect the attack.

“Sir Connery!” All around them he could see bears wearing the red beret of His Majesty’s Secret Service swarming into the garden.

“Get the Prince and Lady Cream to cover,” Connery barked at the nearest bear, who grunted in response as he picked up the fox and rabbit.

“Connery it is one shooter. He’s just jumping between the towers to confuse us,” yelled a hawk wearing similar knightly attire to the horse’s own.

“Right then,” the horse knight said as he drew his sword at the indicated tower in the small trio that created the corners for the garden. For a brief moment Tails wondered what Connery was up to. Then the kit spotted another arrow flying through the air at them. With reflexes honed by years of training and experience, the Champion of Acorn threw his sword like a spear. Squinting, Tails could barely make out a translucent shape leaping to another tower. His line of sight was disrupted, however, as a familiar blue blur sped past him and up the tower the figure, who Tails now guessed to be a chameleon, had been leaping to. Sonic successfully intercepted the would-be assassin, and sent the hapless Mobian sailing to the ground with an audible thud. The kitsune struggled to get a good look at the lizard, but a beefy bear arm moved to shield him from further assault.

“Don’t even think about it mate,” came Geoffrey’s voice as the skunk aimed his wrist mounted crossbow at the chameleon. “And so help me if I see so much as a flicker I’m letting you have it right between the eyes.”

“What is going on here?” a booming voice asked as His Royal Majesty King Acorn entered the garden, accompanied by Garivald and his royal bodyguards.

“Stand back your majesty, my men have just captured a dangerous assassin.” One of the bears grabbed the chameleon by the arms, immobilizing the smaller Mobian.

“You losers had nothing to do with it, skunk-boy, it was me and Connery who took him down.”

“Sonic,” Connery barked, making the hedgehog fall silent.

“Do not worry your majesties. We’ll get to the bottom of this quickly,” Geoffrey continued as though Sonic had said nothing.

“Not likely skunk. Ninja don’t break so easily,” the chameleon said in the sly, quiet voice that seemed so characteristic for his kind. “And I doubt you can hold me for very…” The lizard’s words were cut off as three sharp metal spikes embedded themselves in his neck, killing him instantly. The guards quickly formed ranks around the King as the one who had gotten both Tails and Cream out of the way took them back inside to the waiting staff.

“What kind of sham operation are you running here, St. John?!” Garivald half asked, half screamed

“I assure you this is no ‘sham operation’ Lord Garivald.”

“Really now? Then how do you explain your allowance of not one but two assassins onto the castle grounds?”

“Yes, St. John. I must say this is most disappointing,” King Acorn added. “I can only thank the Walkers that Sir Connery and Sir Hawk were on hand to protect my son and Lady Cream.”

“With all due respect your majesty, it was not their problem to solve,” Garivald said, turning towards the skunk commander. “It was yours. You were placed in charge of the Secret Service and tasked with providing security for the palace, especially with young Prince Miles’s Rite of Ascension ceremony coming up. And yet, here we find your abilities to be lacking in a somewhat distressing manner. Can you explain yourself?”

“At present, no sir,” the skunk said. “Rest assured, however, that I will get to the bottom of this and discover how this chameleon managed to get inside the castle walls.”

“A task, it would seem, which has gotten harder since your prime source of information was killed not moments ago,” Garivald said. He then turned back towards the King. “Your Highness, perhaps we should consider placing such responsibilities in more… experienced hands.”

“What!?” St. John yelped.

“Did you have any suggestions in mind Garivald?” the King asked. The badger waved his hand at Sir Connery.

“Sir Connery has more than proved himself to be reliable on multiple occasions, your majesty. I think we would all feel safer with him in charge of security for such an important event.”

“Your Majesty, while I am flattered by Lord Garivald’s praises, I do not think I am suited to providing security for the entire castle.”

“It would be a temporary situation, my dear sir knight,” Garivald replied. “You are a respected commander and highly observant. I have little doubt you would have no trouble in getting St. John’s forces to perform with SOME semblance of competence.”

“There is no need to become insulting Garivald,” King Max said warningly. “Still I cannot deny your words.”

“Your majesty, I must protest. Simply give me a second chance and I will not fail you,” Geoffrey pleaded.

“I am sorry Commander St. John, but I’m afraid I must concur with my Advisor. Until the Rite of Ascension ceremony is completed, I hereby place you Sir Connery in charge of the Secret Service.”

“While I am flattered Your Majesty, I do feel my talents would better serve…”

“That was not a request, sir knight, it was an order. Commander St. John will make himself available to assist you in any way possible.”

“Yes sir,” the equestrian warrior said with a salute, which was grudgingly followed by Geoffrey St. John’s own.

“Excellent. Now then, I leave you to deal with this… situation as you see fit,” King Max turned to leave. 

*****************************

Vanilla hugged her daughter tightly, grateful to learn that she had survived the assassination attempt. 

“I’m all right, Mommy, really,” Cream said, reassuring her mother as Tails and Queen Alicia looked on. 

“Vanilla, I am terribly sorry for all the excitement today,” Queen Alicia said in an apologetic voice.

“I suppose one must expect such things on occasion,” the elder rabbit said in something of a resigned tone. “Though according to Cream, young Prince Miles acted most bravely and saved her from the assassin’s arrows.” Vanilla ruffled the young kit’s fur. “Thank you so much, my gallant young Prince.” The Duchess then turned back to the Queen. “Well, after such an eventful day, I believe it is time for us to return to the southern provinces.”

“Of course Duchess; and may you and your lovely daughter have a safe and peaceful journey.”

“Oh I hope we will. But never fear, we will be back soon to attend the ceremony. Until then, I wish you my best and hope you will contact me should you need any more decorating advice.”

“Good-bye Miles,” Cream said as she planted a kiss on Tails’s surprised face. “Thank you so much for saving me today.” With that, the two rabbits left.

“Well, it seems you were a real hero today, my son.”

“Uh… thanks ‘Mom,’ but it was really Connery and the others who saved us. I just kinda grabbed Lady Cream and was trying to avoid getting us both punctured,” Tails said, feeling just a little embarrassed at all the attention he was getting.

“Still a lesser man, even a noble, would have left her to die. I am so proud of you.”

“As I’m sure we all are, your Highness,” Julayla said as she entered the room. “But I am afraid I must still remind him that we must complete the fittings for the outfit he will wear for the ceremony. And it is important he commit the names of the guests he will be meeting to memory as well.”

“Aw, haven’t I done enough today?”

“Not yet, my Prince. I’m afraid you have promises yet to keep, and miles to go before you sleep.” With that, the cat tutor led the young fox away.

***********************************

Beneath the castle, buried deep in the grounds of the palace, was a dark, dank pit known as the imperial dungeons. Though not often used, it nonetheless held a population of criminals and villains all its own; many of whom, at one point or another, posed a serious threat to the country and its citizens. It is in one of those cells that a large, muscular lion lies on a cot, his big arms crossed behind his head in a makeshift pillow; brooding darkly. Two thick chains connect his leg shackles to reinforced studs in the wall and keep him from moving freely about the small space. A plaque next to his cell bars marks him as Kodos, the feared bandit lord who, until recently, had been the scourge of the countryside, robbing and pillaging travelers and towns with not a single ounce of remorse or mercy. The bars of his cell are so tightly packed together, the lion couldn’t even get one of his larger-than-life fingers through them, and a little slot is all the space provided to let a guard shove a plate full of his daily sustenance in. All in all, it definitely seems as though this prisoner is here to stay.

Grumbling, Kodos sat up in his cot, rubbing the piece of mane that formed a beard at his chin. Suddenly the bandit lord became very aware of the fact that he was not alone in his cell as a small hand grabbed his shoulder, while a second grabbed his head. A surprising third hand held a small knife with its blade pressed against his neck ever so lightly.

“Do not speak,” a soft voice almost whispered into his ear. “I come with an offer. Accept it and gain your freedom; refuse it, and die. Nod your head if you accept.”

For a brief moment Kodos considered defiantly telling the voice it could go to the abyss but, though he was many things, he was no fool. King Acorn had already ordered his execution; it was only a matter of time before he faced his death at the executioner’s hands. If this creature was offering him freedom, who was he to quibble over the details. Slowly he nodded.

“Excellent,” the quiet voice said, never removing the knife blade. “I will leave you now. In three minutes, you will leave as well, no sooner. I have secured your weapon for you; it will be waiting outside the dungeon door. Once you are out, make your way to the Great Forest and be there at nightfall. My employer can make it most worth your wile to keep the appointment. Understood?” Again Kodos nodded. Then, just as suddenly as the Mobian had appeared, she was gone.

Just as the intruder had said, Kodos waited for three minutes before trying to open the door to his cell. Half expecting it to be a trick, the giant lion was quite surprised when the metal bars swung open with little resistance. Quickly he left the cell and made his way towards the dungeon doors.

“Halt in the name of the King,” yelled a voice as two guardsmen appeared holding swords. Though somewhat lessened without his signature battle axe, the bandit lord’s size provided him with a terrifying advantage over the other two Mobians in terms of reach. Quickly he grabbed the two guards’ sword hands in a powerful grip, crushing the fingers against the handles of their weapons. As the duo let out pained screams, Kodos jerked them forward, slamming them both face first into the wall and silencing them. With a none too gentle shove, he opened the large metal door of the dungeon and was somewhat shocked to find his giant battleaxe sitting nearby, an unconscious Mobian on the floor beside it. A smile on his face, he grabbed the axe and made his way out of the palace.

***********************

“YELP,” Tails cried as a small pin passed through the thick material that was draped over his body and struck his skin.

“I have to ask you again to not move please,” said the irked canary tailor that was currently working on the finishing touches for Prince Miles’s outfit. Tails fought the urge to tell the canary off, trying his best to concentrate on being completely still. Difficult normally, made exceptionally more so when he couldn’t move.

“Now Miles, please tell me who King Donalito is, where he comes from, and how you should respond to his attending your ceremony,” Julayla commanded from the chair where she held a thick book in her lap. Tails’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what he had so recently learned of this reality’s politics, no mean feat considering he’d never had the slightest interest in politics before.

“Donalito is King of the island nation of Sibaula, and he’s… um… a huge fan of watching little foxes screw up big time?”

_~Like Sonic said, if you can’t be right, be funny.~_

“No. And I do not appreciate you making light of this, Prince Miles,” Julayla said, a stern look on the feline’s face. “Might I remind you that many of these nobles will be judging you without pity or sympathy.”

“I’m sorry. Ouch!” Another pin stuck him as the tailor attempted to place a tassel on his shoulder.

“That is what you get for not paying attention,” the cat said. Then she let out an exasperated sigh. “Miles, we’ve been going over this for weeks now, and you were doing so well. Now it’s like you’ve never even heard a word I said.”

“I… I just have a lot of my mind. Nervousness. After all, you know how important the day will be.”

“Yes and it will be ruined if you do not remain STILL, my Prince,” the canary said, causing Tails to huff in frustration, which only caused further problems for the bedraggled tailor.

“Very well, I guess I can accept that for now, but you will have to try harder. Now then, Donalito is the King of the client country of Mercia, which is behooved to your father. Donalito is also a fastidious believer in the ancient ideas of entitlement and the divine right to rule. This makes him one of the thirteen nobles attached to King Acorn’s court who do not believe it acceptable for you to be named heir to the throne.”

“See I was right, he does enjoy watching little foxes screw up.”

“It is more than that, I’m afraid. It is almost a certainty that he will not support your claim to the throne when the time comes and he will be speaking to those who are still undecided and even those who’s support is somewhat shaky in an attempt to get them not to support you either. It is imperative that you not give him any sort of ammunition he can use against you or your father. Now then, I don’t suppose you remember Viscount Charles Hedgehog do you?”

“Sonic’s uncle?” Quickly Tails recalled what he did know of this reality. Uncle Chuck had been instrumental in “ending” the Great War between Acorn and MegaCentral and, in this reality, he had been given a patent of nobility for his efforts, officially making him a member of the higher nobility, though that same courtesy had not been extended to Jules or Sonic. “He’s… on my side, isn’t he?”

“Yes of course, but he is also a junior noble. It is important for you to know exactly how much to interact with him in relation to nobles of Donalito’s rank so as not to appear offensive to others.”

“Wait a minute,” Tails said, grabbing the tailor’s hand before the bird got a chance to stick him with another needle. “This Donalito guy thinks I’m scum, but you want me to spend lotsa time with him; while Uncle Chuck, the guy who actually likes me, I’m supposed to stay away from? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Would you mind leaving for a few minutes, good sir,” Julayla asked the canary tailor?

“But madam,” the tailor protested, “I haven’t finished with tonight’s work yet.”

“We will not be long and it is fairly important,” Julayla said calmly. Grudgingly the canary left, closing the door behind him.

“I just don’t get why I’m going to such lengths to be nice to the people who wish I’d fall into a sewer and die.”

“I understand Prince Miles, but you have to understand something as well. The day King Maximillian announced that he intended for you to be the royal heir, many of the nobles whom his reign does depend on were less than thrilled to have a commoner not simply raised to their status, but above them. I’m afraid that many felt it a severe insult for the King to take that action.”

“Yeah yeah I know, I’m not a blue blood so I should be in the forest sticking berries up my nose.”

“Nothing quite so dramatic my Prince. The feeling was that without the proper breeding, it was unlikely you’d be sufficiently capable of leading the kingdom.”

“But since when has breeding been able to determine anything about a person? It’s not fair to condemn someone just because their parents didn’t have some long winded pedigree to display.”

“Commendable thinking sire, but not particularly relevant at the moment,” Julayla said before continuing. “In order to forestall any ideas of revolt that the kingdom could not survive at the time, the King made a compromise. He would adopt you as his son, but he would not name you his heir; at least not immediately.”

“I know this story. He’s going to do it at the Rite of Ascension…”

“Yes yes, that is his plan. But the other half of the compromise goes that if a sufficient number of courtiers and noblemen deem you unsuitable as a future sovereign, King Maximillian must negate your claim to the throne. To not do so is to risk the kingdom tearing itself apart in a civil war, something that would benefit nobody, save MegaCentral. Your antics, your exploits; they have done much to endear you to your future subjects, and a careful job of detailing them has won you quite a few fans amongst the nobility, especially the younger aristocrats and noble houses who missed out on the days of adventure from the kingdom’s inception. Unfortunately, it has done little to make some see you as anything more than… ‘a hyper-active street urchin’ I believe was the phrase Ferdinand used.”

“But if those other houses like me…”

“The elder houses are the ones that have spent centuries gathering wealth, land, and arms to themselves. This grants them a certain amount of additional clout where matters of state are concerned. Because of that, it is them that this ceremony is being designed to impress. You must be able to show them that, in addition to being able to connect with your subjects, you also know how to behave amongst members of the royal court.”

“I still say it’s nonsense,” Tails said in a defeated huff.

“Yes I know. But think of it this way, it is only for one day, and then, baring a tragedy, you won’t have to deal with those people again. You’ll just have to deal with their children.”

“Oh goody,” Tails said, sarcasm rich in his voice. “I can hardly wait.”

“I think that’s enough snideness for now. Let’s get the tailor back in here so that he can finish for the night and then you can go to bed.”

************************

In the darkness of the Great Forest at night, Kodos waited, his patience steadily growing thin. He’d been waiting for nearly an hour and still there was no sign of this mysterious benefactor who’d helped him escape the King’s dungeon.

“Five more minutes,” he muttered. “Five more minutes, and if this fella doesn’t show himself I’m…” Kodos’s grumbling was cut off as a kunai sliced into the ground before him. Looking up into the trees, the lion bandit readied his axe for attack, though he could barely make out the form of a spider dressed in black and readying another of the deadly throwing knives.

“Are you the one who summoned me here?”

“No my muscular friend, it was I,” said a badger wearing a well to do tunic and covering his nose in a handkerchief. Instantly Kodos recognized the Mobian and shouldered his weapon.

“Lord Garivald, the Royal Advisor? Now this is a surprise.”

“I’ve no doubt it is to your feeble mind bandit, but I did not come here to hear your assessments. I have come with a proposition for you.”

“Really now. And what’s to stop me from just saying no and slicing your scrawny little self in half?” As if to answer him another kunai landed at his feet.

“Tell me, does this arrogant display of testosterone ever accomplish anything for you? I went to all of the trouble of freeing you, and you came here; so you’re obviously interested in what I have to say. What is the harm in remaining… civil to each other a few moments longer. Besides, I would think there was someone else you’d rather slice in twain. Someone with say… orange fur?”

“The royal freak,” Kodos growled, remembering just who it was who’d landed him in the dungeon.

“Yes, the Prince,” Garivald growled too. “As it happens, I have a vested interest in making sure the little peasant never makes it to the throne. Unfortunately, I also have an interest in making sure my hands remain clean of the whole thing.”

“I see, you want me to take out the Prince. But what do I get out of it?”

“Aside from your revenge? What else could you possibly want?”

“If I kill the freak, his daddy’s gonna have the entire Mobian Grand Army on my tail before the hour is up. I’m good, but even I don’t think I could fight my way through so many palace guards.”

“Not to worry my ‘friend,’ I have no intention of letting you just blunder back into the palace in a vain attempt to get revenge, no, what I have in mind is much neater and less dangerous for all parties concerned.” His axe still shouldered, Kodos moved forward towards the badger, a wicked smile on his face.

“Tell me more, your lordship.”


	5. On to the Great Refuge

Tails had to admit that, with only a few exceptions, being Prince Miles seemed to be little different from being himself, so long as he was careful that was.. Between lessons with Julayla and preparation for his ceremony, his time was pretty much his own, though he was expected to at least put in an appearance when King Acorn held court. Apart from that, Tails had barely seen the Monarch who was his Father. Silently, he felt a twinge of sympathy for his counterpart here; and one for Sally as well. At least HIS father had had a reason to avoid him; for all he could see, King Max just never seemed to bother to make time for his children.

_~Why did he adopt me if he wasn’t interested in having children? Just to keep that snotty badger off the throne I bet.~_

“Hey kid, you paying attention,” Sonic called from astride his gonkey, a four legged mammal often used as a living transport by Mobians and Overlanders alike. The Royal Knights often rode them into battle in favor of more conventional vehicles, a fact that often surprised opponents who were quickly overwhelmed by rider and mount’s versatility. Presently, Prince Miles was still learning to ride gonkies, but as Tails was finding out, the skill did not translate well for him. Unused to riding a living animal, Tails was having trouble adapting to it; though he had to admit, he was immensely enjoying it. 

“Sorry Sonic, sorry Sir Connery. My mind was… elsewhere for a moment.”

“Be careful young Prince. While your steed should be well trained enough to make its own decisions, you must also maintain a certain degree of control over it at all times. Gonkies are very quick and it is easy for them to make good distance with a distracted rider on their backs,” Connery said as he rode up to Tails on his own impressive mount. “And you are holding onto the reigns too far back. Set your hands up more.” Quickly Tails did as he was instructed, sitting up straight in the saddle as he did so. All of a sudden a small mouse came running onto the field in which they’d been riding, carrying a piece of paper in his hands. Immediately both Sonic and Connery moved their gonkies in between the mouse and their “Prince.”

“What is it Page? Has something happened?” Sonic asked, giving his voice an air of authority.

“A message, sir Squire, for the Prince,” the mouse answered, handing the paper to the hedgehog, who promptly handed it to Sir Connery. With a flick of the wrist, the horse knight opened the note and read.

“Well, it seems you are summoned Prince Miles. Your Father wishes to speak to you about something… you and Sonic.” At that last part, Connery cast a suspicious glance at his squire, causing Sonic to grin in an attempt to look innocent of any wrongdoing. Given how Tails acted with his Sonic, the fox could only guess what was running through Connery’s mind. “Well, I suppose we better head back then. Your Highness, do you feel up to riding in or would you prefer to walk?”

“I think I could handle a short ride, Sir Connery,” Tails answered. As they rode back, the two natives of this reality already slowing their pace to accommodate their charge, Sonic pulled his beast up alongside the fox prince’s own mount.

“So, what do you think he wants to talk to us about?” Sonic asked, a nervousness in his voice Tails had trouble recognizing. Idly he shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know; it could be anything, it could be nothing. With everything going on here, I’m kinda surprised anyone has time to talk to me, most of all him.”

“A large part of being the King has to do with making sure the kingdom is running smoothly, or at least as smoothly as possible,” Connery said. “It is a responsibility your father does not take lightly, particularly since he knows any mistakes he makes are likely to land on your shoulders. Given that, you should probably forgive him if he is unable to provide you with all the attention you might crave.” There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, no disgust or resentment one might give to a spoiled child who was pouting, merely the calm statement of fact reserved for when adults explain to children why something unfavorable is completely out of their control. Tails had heard that voice often enough, most notably from Rosie when he’d begged to know why his parents were never around.

Once the trio arrived at the stables, and turned over their mounts to the stable boy, Tails and Sonic made their way towards the throne room, the annex of which served as King Acorn’s offices. At Sonic’s prompting, Tails lightly knocked on “his” father’s door.

“Enter.” The voice of the King could be heard on the other side. Cautiously Tails opened the door so he and his hedgehog companion could enter. Behind a large oaken desk sat the squirrel king, a packet of paper in his hand… and Lord Garivald at his side. Immediately Sonic’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, an act that was copied by Tails. Before either of the adults could notice, they wiped their faces blank so as not to arouse suspicion themselves.

“You wished to see us Father,” said Tails in his most polite voice. The squirrel monarch looked up from the papers he had been perusing and acknowledged his guests.

“Ah, Miles, Squire Sonic. So good of you to come so quickly.”

“We could hardly do otherwise,” Sonic said with a smile, before hastily adding, “Uh, your Majesty.”

“Yes well, I’m afraid I have some news that may prove somewhat… disappointing for the both you,” King Max began in what sounded like a placating tone. “I am afraid that, what with the attempt on Miles’s life two days ago, I have decided to withdraw my permission for your excursion into the Great Forest.”

“You’re canceling our camping trip?!” Sonic blurted out in somewhat distressed tones. Tails’s own face fell at the news too. Prince Miles and his Sonic had been planning their trip for over three months after they’d obtained King Max’s permission to go. It was, in fact, the first time ever they’d bothered including their sovereign in their plans. The reason? It was going to be their last true adventure together where they could be equals, before Miles took on the role of Crown Prince and Sonic had to begin proving himself as a Knight of Acorn. Prince Miles’s journal had gone into explicit detail as to how excited he was over the impending trip, an excitement that was no doubt equaled in his Sonic.

“Father, Sonic is more than capable of protecting me,” Tails began. “You’ve seen for yourself that I am very safe while in his care.”

“Yes. And under his care I have seen you get captured and taken to MegaCentral, get involved in a crime syndicate, and also get attacked by a deadly bandit lord… and those are only the examples I know about. Sonic’s ability to get you out of those predicaments has been one of the reasons I haven’t banished him in the first place.”

“That’s not fair!” Tails cried. “I am every bit as much to blame for those incidents as Sonic is.” It was surprising how easy it was to admit culpability when you weren’t the one who would actually be punished for it later.

“I am not about to allow my only son, and the heir to the throne, to go traipsing off into the woods by himself so close to the most important day of his life with only a squire to protect him,” Maximillian stated with finality.

“Your Majesty, if you’ll just…” 

“Not another word, Hedgehog,” the King said in an even but menacing tone. “Say another word and I shall inform Connery of your disobedience and of his need to acquire a NEW squire.” Sonic looked like he was about to say more anyhow (Sonics were always hot-tempered), but Tails quickly placed a hand over his mouth, forcing the cobalt squire to remain silent.

“I am sorry to disappoint you. Believe me, I understand how much you wanted to take this trip,” King Max finally said. “In time, you will understand.” That being an almost multiversal signal of dismissal, Tails and Sonic left. The moment they were in the halls and out of earshot of the King, however, Sonic could contain his anger no longer.

“That’s so fair. No offense to your ol’ man kiddo, but this stinks like yesterday’s onions.”

“I know Sonic, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it. Father’s mind is made up, and nothing short of a miracle could get him to change it,” Tails said, trying to placate his friend. Unfortunately, Sonic simply seemed to ignore him.

“And the nerve of him, threatening people like that, just ‘cause he’s the King. What, just ‘cause I’m a squire, I haven’t got the right to express my opinion or anything?” Again Tails heard sniggering that seemed somewhat familiar. “Ah, hang it all,” the hedgehog continued before turning to Miles and gripping his shoulders. “Look, I’m sorry about blowing up there and ignoring you kid, your Dad just drives me nuts is all. If it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna go blow off some steam with a little solo run, ‘kay?”

“Sure Sonic,” Tails said, not really paying attention anymore.

“We’ll hook up later. Who knows, maybe you can slip on a few rubber-bands and we can sneak into the city.” With a wave and a smile Sonic left.

“Well he certainly seems to be friendly; handsome too,” said a VERY familiar voice that caused Tails to whirl around to see who it belonged to. Holding a mop and smiling a wide grin stood a black hedgehog wearing a pair of shoes and a white uniform typically worn by the custodians employed to keep the palace clean. For a few brief moments, Tails stood dumbfounded as he tried to place what it was that made this hedgehog so familiar. As he looked into the Mobian’s verdant eyes, the truth hit him.

“Sonic?” Tails gasped.

“The one and only… eh, at least on our world anyway… oof!” Sonic(1) almost fell backwards as the little fox rushed him for a big hug.

“What are you doing here; I thought Nilrem didn’t want you to be here?”

“Nilrem said he’d look for a way to get me into this reality so I could help if necessary, and this is it.” Sonic(1) twirled around to show off his blackened quills. “Hopefully this crud will wash off once we get back to our own reality. I’m supposed to be a janitor called Shadow.”

“Shadow?” Tails asked, putting his hands on his hips as he stared at Sonic(1) in utter disbelief. Picking up on his friend’s look, the formerly blue hedgehog smiled.

“Oh like he’s ever gonna find out,” he said with a goofy smile.

“It was you laughing at me the other day,” Tails said, realization dawning on him. With a grin Sonic(1) nodded.

“I couldn’t help it; you and that rabbit looked like such a cute couple. I’m sure Bunnie would’ve loved to see it,” Sonic(1) said with a snicker. “So, what was my oh-so-angry twin raging about?” Tails proceeded to tell Sonic(1) about the King’s decision and Sonic(2)’s reaction to it while the black hedgehog nodded. “Well, I gotta say I can understand where he’s coming from, but this actually works to our advantage.”

“Why?”

“Before I came here, Nilrem said N.I.K.O.L.E. was picking up some weird fluctuations around this universe’s ‘temporal stabilization field’ or something like that. Apparently, something’s happening that’s making this universe change places with another reality, one that really doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance of surviving if Nilrem’s right. He thinks someone’s gonna try to off you again, and that they might just succeed. If you’re here at the palace, we can at least protect you.”

“I guess, but it still seems pretty unfair to Sonic… er, this reality’s Sonic I mean.”

“Eh, better than his whole world coming apart at the seams… again; right Tails?” Sonic(1) asked in something of a defeated tone. In truth, he wouldn’t have liked the situation any better than this reality’s Sonic, but he had the advantage of not being the one it was happening to.

“Prince Miles, Prince Miles, yoo-hoo,” Antoine said as the coyote came walking up to the two, an action that quickly prompted “Shadow” to hide his face with his hat. “My Prince, Lady Julayla asked me to be bringing you to her. She wishes to go over more of zhe guests zhat will be at…” Suddenly Antoine turned towards the hedgehog that stood nearby. “Pardon me monsieur but, have we met? I could almost swear zhere is something most… familiar about you.”

“Uh, no sir, uh, all us hedgehogs just sorta look the same, ya know,” Sonic(1) said as he put a somewhat rough growl into his voice. The ruse seemed to satisfy Antoine, somewhat anyway.

“Jees… well, I suppose… Anyway my Prince, we must hurry along toot sweet to be making it back to Julayla.” With that, the aristocrat grabbed Tails’s hand and began to lead him away. Plaintively Tails cast a pleading look back at Sonic(1), only to watch helplessly as the “custodian” snickered back at him.

*****************************

“Your Majesty, I wonder if I might have a word,” Garivald began just an hour and a half after Tails and Sonic had left the King’s office.

“About what Garivald?”

“Well, about the Prince’s planned camping trip actually.” As could be predicted, reopening of the subject caused King Maximillian to slam his hands down in anger.

“I thought I said the subject was closed…”

“Indeed your Majesty, but what kind of Royal Advisor would I be if I did not advise you when you make decisions.” For a brief moment, King Acorn thought this over.

“You are to advise me in matters of state Garivald. Raising my son is another matter entirely.”

“Oh you see, it is there I must humbly and respectfully disagree my King,” the badger said, a smile showing his pointed teeth appearing on his face. “You plan for young Miles to reign as your successor, which makes raising him something of a concern of the whole kingdom.”

“And you don’t believe I am doing a good job of that by denying Sonic and him to go on this trip?”

“Of course not your majesty, I simply believe that you are not giving this matter proper thought.”

“Oh and what would you do?”

“Well, certainly Prince Miles must be protected as best as possible. With the impending ceremony, there will most certainly be many who would seek to eliminate your son to prevent him from gaining the chance to take the throne.”

“That was my reasoning…”

“Undoubtedly sire, but there is more to it than that. This will most likely be young Miles’s last chance to freely spend some time with the Mobian that has been his very best friend for all these years. After the ceremony, he will either be too busy learning to rule, or Sonic will be too busy tending to his knightly responsibilities.”

“While I understand, I hardly think…” Before he could finish, the King was interrupted once more by Garivald.

“Of a more important note, an attempt has already been made on the boy’s life while he was right in the castle, a fact that does seem to call into question the validity of this being the safest place for him.”

“And you think he will be safer out in the woods with only a squire to protect him?” Acorn asked.

“Ah, but may I remind you that the Great Forest is not COMPLETELY uncharted and undefended wilderness… The Royal Retreat springs to mind.”

“Knothole,” Acorn whispered, his expression lightening as he thought about the former fall back position for the Kingdom of Acorn. 

“Yes, a rustic village located right inside the Great Forest, out of the way enough to function as an excellent camping site, yet controlled enough to allow you to keep a watchful eye on your son. And the fact that so few people know of its existence means that few people will think to look for him there.”

“I see…”

“It is really the best idea. We all know that our young Prince is not at his best when he is… slighted. This way we can head off any attempts he might make to ‘correct’ his situation.”

“I am not about to be blackmailed into action by my own son!” King Maximillian stated fairly forcefully.

“Forgive me, I did not mean any such implication,” Garivald said, holding his hands up in surrender. “But as you know, as you KNEW, foxes are known to be somewhat free spirits, particularly at his age. Is that not the main reason so many of your nobles feel somewhat… skeptical of young Miles’s ability to adequately rule?”

“Hmm…”

“Admittedly it’s a compromise, yes, but it is a compromise on both sides. Miles and Sonic will get their little ‘adventure’ in the forest, while you will be able to keep Miles under careful watch.” Acorn’s hand went to his chin as he considered the badger’s words. 

************************

Sonic(2) moved quickly as his short sword struck the training dummy, ducking it as the wooden puppet began to twirl around and strike at him. A second strike forced the dummy to spin in the opposite direction, and the hedgehog squire answered this by leaping over the wooden sword in the dummy’s hand and bringing his own blade down on its head. Before the second arm could strike him, Sonic(2) let go of the sword and struck the base of the dummy his steel toed shoe, the speed of his kick allowing the metal encased foot to shatter the wooded pole and send the dummy to the ground. Behind him, Sir Connery observed.

“Excellent Sonic, if a bit overdone.”

“I missed, I was aiming for his shoulder so he’d drop the sword,” Sonic(2) confessed. “Guess that old dummy’s too wobbly to aim right.”

“I see,” Connery said, picking up the fallen dummy’s wooden sword. “And, I suppose you feel a more steady opponent would make your strikes seem more on target, hmm?” Knowing there was no way to talk his mentor out of a practice dual, Sonic(2) decided to act quickly and hope for an advantage. Quickly the blue hedgehog struck the horse knight’s wooden sword. Much to his surprise, Connery began to spin at the waist just as the dummy had. Reacting, Sonic(2) smacked the flat of his blade against Connery’s other arm, making him twist the other way. Just as with the dummy, Sonic(2) leapt into the air and readied his sword to strike the horse’s armored shoulder. Before he could land the blow, however, a meaty fist slammed into his mid-section, sending him flying for several yards.

“What’s the matter Sonic? I thought with a ‘proper’ target your aim would be better,” Connery said, wisely keeping his guard up. Anyone who thought covering a few yards would be sufficient warning against Sonic was a fool, and the seasoned knight knew that. 

“You missed your calling as a comedian, Sir Connery,” Sonic(2) remarked. “Now get ready for this!” Like a bolt of lightning, Sonic(2) charged, his sword outstretched as if to skewer his opponent. Of course, this being a practice duel, the hedgehog fully intended to stop short to avoid accidentally injuring the paladin. What he was not ready for was for Connery to move closer, shortening the distance between them by several feet. Before Sonic(2) could react, his sword slid neatly under Sir Connery’s armpit and the knight clamped his arm down tightly on the blade, wrenching the weapon from the hedgehog’s startled grasp. Sonic(2) barely had time to evade it as Connery’s own sword came down. With a quick jump, the blue squire now stood on top of the blade’s flat side, a nasty smile on his face as he prepared to get in Connery’s. Then he stopped as he noticed just who was walking along the open hallways of the castle the training field faced; Garivald.

The badger walked through the hallway, oblivious to the hedgehog watching him, a smile on his face as he hands steepled in front of him. Something was most definitely up and, given Garivald’s reputation, at least as far as Sonic(2) was concerned, that did not bode well for anyone, least of all Prince Miles. Suddenly Sonic(2)’s train of thought was interrupted as he was grabbed by his belt and slammed into the ground, the wooden sword now pointed directly at his neck.

“It would seem I have won, and you need to learn to stay focused,” Connery said, a somewhat disappointed sound in his voice.

“Sorry sir, I saw ‘Lord’ Garivald and got distracted,” Sonic said, a statement that immediately made Connery’s eyes narrow.

“You still suspect him of treachery, don’t you?”

“Suspect nothing, I know he’s a trait…” Sonic(2)’s words were cut off as Connery held a hand over his mouth.

“Saying such things could be considered treason as well Sonic, especially when you have no proof.” Carefully, Connery removed his hand. “Speaking of suspicious things, however, I did want to talk to you about something that has been… troubling me.” Sonic(2)’s eyes widened as he heard that. Typically it was he who sought out advice from Connery, not the other way around.

“What’s up?”

“It’s the Prince. Has he behaved somewhat… strangely that you’ve noticed? Since he returned from Dengir Swamp I mean.”

“Miles? No, no stranger than usual. I mean he was missing for quite a while, I can’t imagine anyone acting the same after something like that. Why have you noticed anything wrong?”

“No, nothing, it’s merely… a feeling I get around him.” At Sir Connery’s words, Sonic(2) let out a quick laugh.

“And you think I’m the one with dangerous suspicions.” 

**********************************************

That evening found Tails sitting at a desk and listening intently as Julayla tutored him in the information he would need to successfully mingle with the myriad species that would be attending his ceremony. For tonight, the elderly cat was refreshing him on some of the more intimate nuances of echidna culture. 

“Wonder if Sally ever had to learn this junk,” a bored Tails mumbled to himself.

“Sally?” Julayla asked, just making out what Tails had said. “Quite possibly not but I somehow doubt this ‘Sally’ person was being groomed to rule an entire planet.” Tails had to smirk at that, even as he mentally chastised himself for mentioning his friend’s name. “Now then, the ancient echidna poet and humorist, Wayfarer, wrote a forty-two page epic…”

“Wait a minute; echidna humorist? As in ‘his job was to be funny?’ And an echidna?”

“Echidna humor tends to be somewhat different from that of the surface, so it is not surprising that the notion of any of their civilization trying to be funny is somewhat overlooked,” Julayla stated. “Now as I was saying, ‘Journey to Unity,’ Wayfarer’s forty-two page epic, is often considered one of the most important and influential pieces of its time. In recent years, the poem has found renewed popularity, particularly with the new Guardian, who will, incidentally, be attending the ceremony.” Inadvertently, Tails giggled as he tried to imagine Knuckles liking anything humorous. “The poem has been rewritten into several playacted versions with many different interpret…” Suddenly the sound of knocking came to the closed door to Prince Miles’s room. Julayla and Tails looked just in time to watch as King Acorn himself entered the room. “Your Majesty,” Julayla said as she bowed before him. Quickly Maximillian returned her bow with a wave.

“Please Lady Julayla, you do me too much honor,” King Acorn said to the elder cat with a smile on his face. Then he turned towards Tails. “I have actually come to talk to you, Miles.” Immediately Tails got off his seat and stood straight up before the King, giving “his” father his full attention. “I have been giving some thought to the decision I made earlier today regarding your camping trip. I have decided that I may have acted in haste when I forbade you from going.”

“You did?”

“Yes. When you told me you wished to go into the forest, I must admit that I only considered that you would simply go there with a tent and a backpack, but now I believe there may be another way,” Acorn said. “Would you be opposed to holding your camping trip in a location of my choosing?”

“Like where?” Tails asked, wondering if his father was going to try to suggest camping in the royal gardens.

“Well, Knothole springs to mind.” Tails’s eyes widened. With the Kingdom still in one piece, with Robotnik actually acting on the side of good, the two-tailed fox had forgotten completely that Knothole’s creation had been dependant on the Great War and would still have been very much in existence. 

_~I wonder what other similarities this world has,~_ he asked himself?

“Miles?”

“Yes Father,” Tails said, snapping out of his thoughts.

“I asked if that would be an acceptable location for you and Sonic’s last… hurr-ah as it were.” The King stood before Tails now, a hand on “his” son’s shoulder. “There will of course be other concessions on your part. I shall have Connery send a squad of Secret Servicemen to the retreat to keep a clandestine eye on you. They will be instructed to keep themselves out of sight, but they WILL be there.” The King’s tone of voice made it very clear this was non-negotiable. “Second, since your destination has already been determined, I must insist that the two of you be shuttled to the village by way of a hover transport. Thirdly, you will be accompanied by Julayla and devote two hours each day to practicing for your ceremony.”

“But…”

“No arguments. Since the ceremony is so close, I cannot simply allow you to go off with absolutely no responsibilities. On the other hand, Knothole should provide a very satisfactory camping site. There are fresh streams, plenty of trees, and only the bare essentials of technology present.” For a few brief moments, Tails made as if to think on the subject.

“It sounds great Father,” he finally said, a smile on his face. “I can’t wait to tell Sonic the trip is on again.”

“Your Majesty, are you sure this is wise?” Julayla asked.

“I believe so, Lady Julayla,” was all the King said as he left the room.


	6. The Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allowed to go on a final excursion with Squire Sonic, Tails finds new problems waiting for him. Meanwhile, Sonic does some investigating of his own into the deceitful Chancellor Garivald.

“You’re kiddin’ me kid! So the trip’s back on,” Sonic(2) asked with excitement.

“Apparently we just gotta make it happen where Father says,” Tails answered, unsure of just how much this Sonic knew of the Kingdom’s secret forest fallback spot.

“You mean that Knothole place?” the cobalt hedgehog asked. Tails nodded at him. “Cool, you told me about it but I’ve never been there. I suppose it’s a small price to pay to still get to go. So what time are we leaving?” 

“The Hover-Unit is supposed to be ready to leave this afternoon after lunch. Think you can be ready by then?”

“Me? Have you forgotten my name already? Have you forgotten just how fast I am?” Sonic(2) asked, his chest puffing out as he crowed with pride. “We could be leaving in five seconds and I’d be ready, kiddo.” Tails laughed at the hedgehog’s somewhat preposterous statement. He knew perfectly well that, without the chaos emeralds at least, even Sonic needed some reasonable amount of time to accomplish tasks. Still, the hedgehog’s bravado and unflappable pride was one of the many things Tails often found attractive about his idol. Quickly Sonic(2) waved goodbye to his royal friend before taking off to prepare for the trip. As soon as the squire was out of sight, the kit turned to leave and begin packing as well. Suddenly, a hand reached out from a dark corner and yanked him back into it. Immediately Tails’s leg kicked backwards and connected with his assailant’s stomach, causing the creature to grunt rather painfully. Before the young Freedom Fighter could get away however, another hand grabbed his own.

“Tails, it’s me,” a familiar voice managed to gasp out. 

“Sonic?” Tails asked, whirling around to see the disguised Sonic(1) of his world. “What in blazes are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry big guy, I just needed to get your attention. Where are you off to in such a hurry? Anything happening?” Quickly Tails recounted his meeting with the king the night before. “And you didn’t say no?!” Sonic(1) yelped.

“I have to keep my cover while I’m here right? I couldn’t just say ‘no’ after all the work Prince Miles put into getting his Dad to say yes the first time. It would seem… suspicious.” Sonic(1) began to stroke his chin as he considered this.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Still, this doesn’t sound like Max, at least none of the Maxes I know.”

“I’d bet money that sneak Garivald had something to do with it,” Tails said. “He was there when the King gave us the bad news. But why would he want me moved to a place where it’d be harder to get an operative in to kill me?” Suddenly, Sonic grabbed the mop that was functioning as a part of his disguise.

“You go get ready for the trip,” he said. “I’m gonna do some snooping around. Hopefully ‘Shadow’ can go undetected where ‘Prince Miles’ would get noticed otherwise. I’ll see what Chopperface is up to and give you as much warning as I can. In the mean time, don’t trust anyone or anything.”

“Roger ‘Shadow,’” the two-tailed fox said as he saluted before taking off.

************************

Uma Arachnis smiled as she moved silently over the ceilings of the castle, not that anyone would notice given that her mouth was perpetually covered by her mask. Amongst other spiders she’d often been told she had a lovely smile, though she doubted that opinion held true to any of the other Mobian races, particularly when they learned why she smiled.

For once, her treacherous minded employer was using a fairly straightforward plan to eliminate his competition for the throne as opposed to the somewhat convoluted ones he typically employed. That suited the spider-ninja just fine. Of all the underhanded conspiracies she’d ever been a part of, Garivald’s little coup was proving the most annoying, particularly since their target had a nasty habit of surviving. 

Finally she arrived at the rooms held by the Royal Advisor and entered. Immediately the she-spider felt the electronic eyes of Synthia fall upon her, an annoying feeling given the pride the ninja took in being able to remain undetected.

“You have returned?” Garivald asked as he looked up from the letter he was composing. “Were you successful?”

“Of course, Lord Garivald,” Uma whispered, only just loud enough to be audible. “I am always successful.” So saying, she handed the badger a plastic key card which was promptly inserted into one of Synthia’s many drives. 

“I’m accessing the royal database, but it will take me a few minutes to set up an acceptable identity to gain the necessary access codes,” Synthia intoned as she began to work.

“Plenty of time my dear,” Garivald said, turning towards Uma. “You understand the plan I trust.”

“It is… less complicated than many of your other plans. As soon as the Prince’s Hover-unit leaves the castle, I will pursue in one of the new stealth crafts the Ministry of Science has developed. I will disable the craft, forcing it to land, after which they become Kodos’s problem.”

“Excellent. Once Prince Miles is finally out of the way, and with the Queen barren thanks to the Overlanders, I will have no trouble convincing King Acorn that it is time to make a more permanent decision with regards to the Kingdom’s future. Even that fool of a king of a Donalito will have to support my claim to the throne.”

“Unless he desires the crown himself,” Arachnis pointed out, a statement that caused Garivald to burst out laughing.

“Donalito… Ruler of the Kingdom of Acorn! Now if ever there was a candidate that could make that peasant look better in comparison, that pompous windbag would be it. There’s a reason Mercia bows itself before Acorn, my dear, and much of that has to do with their current government.” Soon the Advisor stopped laughing. “Still, if Donalito does prove to have such lofty ambitions, I’m sure we can arrange a nice ‘accident’ to befall him as well.” Suddenly, Uma’s head jerked up as a faint sound came to her ears.

“It seems we have a rat in the vicinity,” she whispered, casting a web-line to send her to the ceiling. 

***************************

“It seems we have a rat in the vicinity.” That was all Sonic(1) needed to hear as he turned to leave. He’d been expecting to deal with a bureaucratic badger giving chase, or even a few corrupt guards. The ultra-agile Uma Arachnis’s presence though, put something of a crimp in his escape plans. The high speed hedgehog would never be able to keep up his full speed within the twisting corridors of the castle, and Arachnis was unencumbered by having to stay inside the castle to find her way through it. Mentally Sonic(1) cursed himself for not asking where Tails was staying, especially since he only vaguely remembered the layout for Castle Acorn.

“You would do well to surrender now hedgehog,” a metallic voice announced as he raced for one of the tower’s windows. Before he could get there, a set of bars closed over the window, baring his exit. With the skill born of years of dodging through Robotropolis’s mazelike streets, Sonic(1) rebounded off the bars to continue on his way, narrowly missing to globs of sticky webbing fired at him as well as a kunai knife.

~Man what I wouldn’t give to have Espio here,~ Sonic(1) thought as he avoided the projectiles. Suddenly, a laser field shot up in the hallway before him.

“Amazing the security devices you can get when you are integral to the running of the kingdom, eh Son… You’re not Sonic,” Garivald said, finally seeing the black hedgehog before him. “Don’t tell me there are two of you speed freaks in the world. I would think I’d’ve heard of such a creature.”

“Yeah well maybe you aren’t as smart as you think you are,” Sonic said, thumbing his nose. “Case in point.” Sonic surged forward at top speed, rolling himself directly into a ball to perform his devastating Sonic spin. Though he was unfamiliar with the move, even Garivald could guess what the intent of the attack was and moved out of the way. This in turn allowed Sonic to slam into the ground behind the badger and begin cutting his way through the stone as he began to tunnel to a lower level.

“What? Stop him!”

“Complying,” Synthia said. Before Sonic could get through the floor, a massive jolt of electricity struck him from the wires that fed Garivald’s supercomputer. 

“YAAA!!” the hedgehog screamed as he leapt out of the hole, and right into Archnis’s waiting arms. 

“Good night hedge-rat,” she whispered as the shocked Sonic lost consciousness.

***********************

Tails looked over the items he had selected for his journey, noting that it was a bit more than what he was used to packing in his own home universe. Personally the young kitsune attributed that to how much more he would need for this camping trip than he would have with his Sonic. Still he had to admit that a lot of the things he was packing were present more to see what it was like to have them. Back on his Mobius, camping trips tended to take on the role of survival exercises with a bit of male bonding thrown in when Sonic could manage it. This time, he was going on a camping trip that was almost completely at his leisure, and he intended to enjoy it as best he could.

~Only thing that would make it perfect would be if I was doing this with my Sonic, not Prince Miles’s,~ Tails thought smiling. Of course he also remembered to pack along the notes he’d been taking on the upcoming ceremony. Julayla was already gone, and was no doubt setting up one of the cabins in Knothole to serve as a temporary study hall for him, which meant he had to be ready to learn from her as quickly as possible. Finally when he judged he was finished, Tails closed the two cases, lifting them with a grunt and a heave-ho. Outside of his room stood a guard wearing a familiar blue coat and a sword by his side, standard uniform for a member of the royal guard. Noticing the trouble the young fox was having with his luggage, the guard stooped forward almost immediately.

“Do you request assistance, my Prince?”

“Oh… about all I can get,” Tails said as he handed the bigger of the suitcases to the burly guard, who lifted it effortlessly. Suitably shamed by his own lack of muscles, Tails took the second case before the guard could get to it. “I can handle this one,” he said with a smile. Shrugging his shoulders, the guardsman began to escort the “Prince” to the landing pad where the hover-unit waited.

“Traveling ‘light’ I see,” Sonic(2) quipped as he saw Tails and the guard approaching with the two cases.

“Well, since we’re not going to be hiking to Knothole, I figured it’d be okay to bring along a few things to make the trip more enjoyable,” Tails explained. The royal impersonator cast a somewhat worried glance around for “Shadow” as he did so. His Sonic had volunteered to go check out Garivald then report back to him. That the black painted hedgehog was not here caused the kit to feel something akin to alarm.

~Sonic’s all right, he’s gotta be. If we can take Buttnik and his badniks, no way some over-stuffed badger with an attitude can get the better of him.~

“If you are ready, we can depart at any time,” said a wolf in a guard uniform who Tails assumed to be the pilot for the hover-unit. Quickly Sonic(2) helped his friend aboard the flyer and the two took their seats. Once more the young kit found the differences between this world and his quite interesting as he made a quick survey of the native hover-units. Robotnik Prime had designed his flyers to be stark to the point of active discomfort. Robot pilots meant there was little need for anything more than a thin strip of Plexiglas to serve as a window. To Tails’s knowledge, only one of the contraptions even had a seat, and that was the one Robotnik used to ferry his posterior all over the planet. On this world, though the machines had obviously been made with battle in mind, thought had also been given to comfort and view. It actually reminded him a little of the passenger airplanes used by Station Square, though not as roomy.

“Control Tower, this is the Sojourner, requesting permission to take-off,” the pilot said as he spoke into a radio while powering up the machine’s engines.

“Sojourner, this is Control Tower, we do copy, please send readings on output, copy?”

“All systems read nominal, all gauges read normal. This ship is ready to go to Muckury and back if need be.”

“You don’t have to go quite that far Sojourner, but you still need to make the flight safely. I don’t have to remind you why, correct?”

“It’d be kind of hard to forget with him sitting right behind me Control. How does the weather look? Anything I should be on the look out for?”

“The wind is mild, the sky is clear, and the sun is shining; an excellent day for a flight. You may leave when ready. Roger?”

“Roger that,” the pilot looked back at the two youths. “Fasten your belt and prepare for lift off your majesty.” Tails and Sonic(2) did as they were instructed and the wolf gently eased the controls back into flight position, causing the vehicle to slowly ascend a few feet from the ground. Slowly the ship eased its way out of the hanger and into the open skies above the castle before ascending further to a cruising altitude.

*******************

“Uma, they’ve left the hanger.”

“I understand Lord Garivald. I am in position to pursue.”

“Allow them to get some distance from the city, I DO NOT want the royal guard able to interfere.”

“Understood.”

********************

Tails watched as the city quickly passed by under the hover-unit, once more endeavoring to take in as much of the unspoiled Mobotropolis as he could. Soon though, the buildings began to give way to more and more trees as they approached the edge of the city. Beyond the suburbs of Mobotroplis would be a small plain, a thin stretch of flat ground only a few miles wide that marked the boundary between the city and the Great Forest. Tails smiled as the hovercraft gained more altitude, allowing him to see the massive expanse of the forest. That was when his eyes spotted something that struck him as strange.

“What in the world happened to the forest?” Tails wondered aloud. His fingers pointed at what appeared to be a long, wide ravine that cut off almost a third of the forest from the rest. 

“The Forest Scar. What, don’t you remember that? You were born around the time those nutty Overlanders made it,” Sonic(2) said.

“I guess I just forgot,” Tails half-admitted, half-lied. “How on Mobius did they cause a crack in… in Mobius?”

“The ‘Fissurator,’” the pilot answered, the word coming somewhat awkwardly from his mouth. “They brainwashed somebody into smuggling a signal transmitter into the city, then that stupid machine of theirs was able send an artificial earthquake right at us. If it hadn’t been for the echidnas, we’d probably all be living underground by now.”

“How’d the echidnas stop it?”

“If I remember correctly, they blasted the fissure with some sort of sonic cannon, stopped the earthquake dead in its tracks, but it left that three mile wide eyesore running through the forest,” Sonic(2) explained. “I don’t know how long it is, but it’s supposed to stretch all the way to the Great Wasteland.”

“It’s like they scarred the forest itself with their madness,” the pilot said in a somewhat philosophical tone of voice. “Fortunately, it’s not too close to Knothole, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about…” The pilot was cut off as the ship rocked as it was hit by laserfire. “What the?! Brace yourselves, now!” Again the hover-unit shook.

“Someone’s trying to shoot us down,” Tails warned, his training beginning to take hold. “Have you got anything on radar?”

“No sir, according to the instruments there’s nothing out there,” the pilot replied before turning his attention back to the radio. “Control Tower this is Sojourner, we’re under attack. Repeat, Prince Miles’s ship Sojourner is under attack.” Quickly Tails scrambled around the ship to the windows, hoping to get some view of their attacker.

“Sonic, we have to try and spot this thing so we know what we’re up against,” Tails commanded, only to feel a pair of hands grab him and place him back into his seat, securing him with the belts. “Sonic what are you doing? We don’t have time for this.”

“You’re top priority kid, and the safest place for you to be right now is secured in your seat. I’ll try to spot out what’s poundin’ us, but you need to stay put.” Tails watched somewhat helplessly as Sonic(2) moved over to the windows.

“But I can he…”

“STAY PUT.” Sonic(2) practically commanded as he looked for their attacker. Suddenly, a familiar red and black figure resembling a manta zoomed by the window as it strafed the hover-unit. 

“Blast it all. Hang on, I’m gonna drop altitude. Hopefully having the actual forest beneath us should limit our attacker’s options somewhat.”

“Good thinking,” Sonic(2) remarked. “Better thinking would be to bring this thing’s weapons on line and start shooting back.”

“I’m trying but it moves too fast, the moment I get a target lock it’s gone before the gun can hit it.”

“Don’t depend on the computer,” Tails piped in. “Stealthbots' speed is their best advantage in combat, but their really not that good at maneuvering. Try to trick it by aiming where it’s going to be.” Looking back at him with a curious look, the Mobian Wolf began to implement Tails’s strategy. Sure enough, the next time the attack craft made a pass at them, the laserfire from the hover-unit’s cannons connects, forcing it to break off the run.

“We got ‘im,” Sonic(2) cried in triumph.

“Yeah, but not as good as he’s been getting us… and he’s still very much in this fight,” the pilot pointed out. “What’s worse, since it doesn’t show up on radar, I can’t direct weapons if it’s out of our line of sight.”

“You should be able to outmaneuver it,” Tails once more stated. “If we hold on tight in here, you should be able to pull off some mean maneuvers to keep ‘im from getting a clear shot at us.”

“Where did you learn so much about aerial combat?”

“Uh, books and stuff mainly,” answered Tails with a smile. “You’d be amazed how in detail they get.”

“Well I got bad news for you, we’ve taken a few hits to our maneuvering thrust… Look out!” The controls lit up again, though this time not with fluorescent lights but with exploding sparks as the transport to a forward hit. The wolf screamed as the exploding panel caught him, blinding him in one eye. “ARGH MY EYES!!” Quickly Sonic(2) grabbed the stick trying to get the craft under control. Again the ship rocked as the attacking stealthbot struck. 

“Oh man, we just lost the antigrav engines, we’re going down,” Sonic(2) wailed. Tails watched in horror as the trees of the Great Forest got closer and closer before finally he felt it as the hover-unit began crashing into them. Under normal conditions, a crashing hover-unit was like a re-enforced egg. Structurally it was supposed to be able to handle anything without breaking. Being shot up by a stealthbot, however, was something less than a optimum situation. Tails’s ears twitched as he heard the whining sound of tortured metal straining as it was pushed beyond its structural limits by the power of velocity and the striking trees. The kit had been in more than enough plane crashes to know what the result of that would be.

“Both of you, get back here now,” commanded the fox “prince.” The blue hedgehog leapt over his seat. Unfortunately, the wolf proved just a second too slow as the front half of the ship was ripped open by the trees and sucked him out to what Tails could only assume was a very painful fate. Presently more concerned with keeping himself and Sonic(2) safe, the kit could only spare a brief moment of sympathy for the fallen pilot. “Sonic, this thing’s getting ripped apart, we’ve gotta find a way to protect ourselves.”

“Way ahead of ya big guy,” Sonic(2) returned as he opened the luggage compartment and pulled out two thick sleeping bags. “With any luck these should be able to keep most of the little stuff from hurting you.”

“What about you?”

“I keep telling you kid, you’re the priority here and I’m not about to let you get killed.” Before Tails could protest, Sonic(2) had wrapped him in most of the two bags. Tails closed his eyes as the ground began to rip into the ship now instead of the trees, knocking him from the seat. Inside his cocoon, Tails’s arms shot over his head as he attempted to protect himself from the inevitable but tucking into a ball with his fluffy tails around him. He let out a loud yelp as he felt his body bounce hard around the floor before being flung forward onto hard ground. For a few feet he rolled out of control, stopping as he bounced off what felt like a pair of tree trunks. Carefully, sorely, Tails climbed out of the thick sleeping bags, his head swimming as he tried to shake the dizziness from it. That’s when he noticed that the “trees” that had stopped him were not trees at all, but thick, muscular legs covered by a pair of brown and green camouflage pants. As he looked up, he saw that the legs supported the equally muscular body of a frighteningly familiar lion that grinned down at him with his giant teeth gleaming in the waning sunlight. In his hands the massive head of a battle axe also gleamed as it bounced up and down in the lions overly large hands.

“Well, well, well,” Kodos said as he pulled his axe over his head to strike. “If it isn’t the PRINCE!!”


	7. A War On Two Fronts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forced to face Kodos, Tails must rely on his wits and skill to defeat the evil lion and save Squire Sonic. But when the battle's over, he finds something he never imagined he'd see again.

“YAH!” Tails screamed as he rolled away from the axe, allowing it to bite into the ground he himself had been laying on not mere seconds before. A split second slower and his tails would not have been the only thing the kit would have possessed two of. Quickly Tails scrambled to his feet, only to dive again as the axe was swung for his neck, barely missing it.

“Gotta say I’m impressed. Figured it wouldn’t take more ‘en one or two swings to get rid of ya. Guess that chump Connery has been teachin’ ya something. Still, I’m bettin’ you’re no great shakes in a real fight.”

“Does that mean you’re going to let us go?” Tails asked, sarcasm rich in his voice. Kodos laughed.

“Not likely. Even if I wasn’t being paid a bundle to turn you inta fertilizer, I owe you and that blue hedge-rat too much ta forgive you.” Once more Tails leapt out of the way of the axe, this time rebounding off of a tree in an attempt to strike his attacker and end the fight quickly. This proved to be a painful mistake though, as one of Kodos’s hands released his axe, balled into a fist, and struck the hapless kit in the side, sending him crashing back to the ground.

~Okay dumb idea,~ Tails thought to himself. ~There’s gotta be some way to get this big doop away from me.~ Quickly the young Freedom Fighter surveyed the area, a small sigh of relief escaping him when he saw Sonic(2) laying not too far away; unconscious, but still alive. Immediately Tails’s train of thought was derailed as he had to move to avoid yet another axe strike, this time followed by a lunging punch directed right where he had leapt to avoid the blade. No doubt about it, Kodos was getting smarter and more vicious. ~If I leave, Sonic’s dead; but I can’t take this guy’s attacks directly.~ Suddenly he was struck by inspiration. ~But I wonder how many of his attacks HE could take.~ 

This time as Tails dodged Kodos’s attack, he made sure to grab a handful of stones from the forest floor. With a malicious smile on his face, he hurled three of the rocks right at the lion warrior’s head.

“Hurling pebbles, little ‘Prince.’ You must really be desperate.”

“Nope, just trying to see if your head’s hollow or if you’re just stupid,” Tails retorted, sending a fourth rock at the madman. 

“That is really getting annoying!” Kodos yelled warningly. “Be a good boy and just die.”

“You think you scare me, you overstuffed ball of fluff. I’ve faced enemies that ‘ve made HIS quills stand on end,” Tails pointed at his unconscious friend. “Overlanders with weapons that can level whole planets, aliens with powers that can stop you dead in your tracks, robots who can move faster than sound. No no, a kitty with a hatchet isn’t enough to frighten me.”

“Maybe so, you little brat, but if you’ll notice I am a LION and this is my WARAXE!” With a roar Kodos launched himself at the kit, who now stood with his back against a tree, swiping his weapon in an attempt slice the fox across the belly. This time however, instead of diving for cover out of the way, Tails scrambled up the tree, making for the higher branches and collecting a few acorns as he went. “What’s that? I thought you weren’t scared of me? Have you changed your mind runt?”

~Step one: get him to get rid of that axe.~ Down below Kodos’s eyes suddenly widened as he found himself once more being pelted, this time with many acorns. Quickly Tails moved on to the next set of branches in the forest’s canopy, being sure to make enough noise and motion to allow Kodos to track him. Once more he launched a barrage of acorns to annoy the overly large Mobian.

“It’s gotta suck not being able to get me up here, right kitty-cat?”

“Oh, you think you’re safe now, do you,” Kodos growled, his temper fraying at Tails’s continued mocking of him. “Let me show you how safe you are!” With a roar, the lion threw his axe at the tangled wall of tree limbs, slicing through them like a buzzsaw. With a fairly loud crash, the jumble of severed branches landed on the ground. A malicious gleam in his eyes, Kodos moved towards the pile and, lifting one massive foot into the air, began to stomp the wooden limbs flat. Again and again he stomped, listening to the loud snapping sounds and hoping to distinguish between the sound of branches and fox bones being crushed. Suddenly, five more acorns rocketed down and struck him squarely on the head from above. Angrily he looked up and…

“You know, I bet right now you’re really wondering how I’m doing this,” Tails said, a huge smile on his face as his tails spun behind him, keeping him aloft in the air like a propeller. Kodos’s eyes opened and his jaw dropped as he stared at the flying fox, his mind trying to process the fact that what he was looking at was real. For Tails, showing off his aerial skill was a calculated risk. So long as Sonic(2) didn’t wake up to see him, who would believe Kodos when the mad bandit began raving about flying foxes.

“You’re… you’re… you’re flying!”

“You’re a genius,” Tails called back in a mocking voice, hoping to get Kodos even angrier. “I don’t just fly though,” so saying the kitsune charged through the air at the lion, grabbing at his whiskers and yanking them out very painfully as he passed, “I do it very well.”

“You freak!” Kodos yelled, grabbing his cheek. “That hurt!”

“Yeah and I bet this will too,” Tails announced as he sped in, grabbing his opponent’s beard with both hands. Using the force of his momentum, he swung the whiskers around Kodos’s neck and head, landing a double footed kick to the lion’s back. Predictably, this had the effect of making the bandit lord take a swing at the fox, but Tails was one step ahead of him; releasing the whiskers and spinning his tails to allow the fist to instead connect with Kodos’s own ribs. With a loud grunt, and a speed that belied how very big he was, Kodos whirled around to give chase to the rapidly retreating Tails. Carefully the young fox allowed his large opponent to come close to catching up to him, flying out of the way to barely avoid being hit by a fist that easily cracked a large rock jutting out of the ground. Quickly he flew down, zipping between the lion’s legs and avoiding his feet as Kodos attempted to stomp him flat, grabbing the lion’s thin, ropey tail and swinging up onto the bandit’s head.

“You are really beginning to aggravate me,” Kodos yelled as he tried to knock Tails off his head with his fist, inadvertently striking himself instead. 

“Yeah? Somehow I don’t think that’s much of a problem for me slow-mo,” Tails replied in a snotty voice. This, of course, served to get Kodos even angrier. Once more Tails flew all over the larger Mobian’s body, narrowly avoiding fists and feet so that they connected with Kodos, who was too angry to clearly think about what he was doing, instead. Finally, Tails hovered right in front of the lion, a wicked smile on his face as he reared back and quite literally spit in the bandit lord’s eyes. This very nearly proved to be a fatal mistake as the fox only just avoided his attacker’s next punch, instead being disoriented as the fist clipped one of his tails. The ploy was successful however, as Tails heard the satisfying sound on soft cartilage crunching under pressure when Kodos struck himself in the face. Quickly Tails scampered forward, towards the back of the off-balance lion and hurled his whole body at the back of his knees, causing the towering figure to collapse to the ground. The young Freedom Fighter then grabbed the biggest fallen limb he could find and jumped up in the air as high as he could to bring the makeshift club down squarely on Kodos’s head. With a grunt and a shudder, the lion was out cold.

“Finally,” Tails said as he sat down in exhaustion. “I thought that big dupe would never go down.” The fox kit let out a loud laugh. “Man I wish Sonic coulda seen me, he’d be so impressed he’d… Sonic!” Tails leapt to his feet as he remembered the condition of his, or rather Prince Miles’s, friend. With no time to waste he twisted his tails and raced through the air back towards where Sonic(2) had been lying. A wave of relief washed over him as he found the blue hedgehog still where he’d been left, relief that was sadly short lived as he considered the possibility that his companion had not survived the crash. Quickly Tails dropped down beside the hedgehog and began to shake him.

“Sonic, Sonic come on, wake up. Say something, anything,” the young kit pleaded. Slowly, groggily, Sonic(2)’s eyes began to open as he moaned in pain.

“Oh... did someone get the number of the transport that hit me?” he asked in a scratchy voice. Then his eyes fully opened as he remembered the events earlier that day. “Prince Miles!”

“I’m here Sonic, I’m all right,” Tails said, more than a little flattered that he was the first thing on Sonic’s mind, even if this Sonic wasn’t his Sonic. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve had one to many sodas and smashed my head through a wall,” the hedgehog answered truthfully. “Other than that… What happened here?” All around them, the forest looked torn up, a direct result of Kodos swinging his axe everywhere and hitting everything. Inside his head, Tails debated whether or not to tell Sonic(2) the truth. On the one hand, if he told the hot-tempered hedgehog about Kodos, it was a pretty safe bet that he’d end up wanting to go and deal with the deadly Panthera leo, something that, in his present condition, Tails was not completely sure he could accomplish. On the other hand, Kodos was most assuredly not dead, which meant when he came to, he’d be VERY angry. If this Kodos was anything like Kodos Prime, he would be able to quickly track them through the forest. Was it worth not having to convince Sonic(2) it was time to make a hasty retreat and run the risk that he might get ambushed by an unknown enemy? Unfortunately, the decision was quickly taken out of Tails’s hands.

“We need to get going. Someone was very interested in shooting us out of the sky and I really don’t like the idea of being out in the forest all alone when they come to check up on us,” Sonic(2) said. “I just wish I knew where we are.”

“Yeah, after all that tumbling and twisting we did in the air, we can’t really be sure which way to go to get to Mobotropolis,” Tails said, a pang of guilt hitting him for being too stupid to not fly up and get his bearings while Sonic(2) was still unconscious. 

~Gotta remember to sneak off so I can do that.~ Tails watched as his blue companion walked over to the wreckage of their craft, searching through it.

“What are you doing?”

“Sojourner was a royal aircraft Miles, it has to have some sort of survival kit or something. With everything trashed I’m hoping they have something in it that can help us,” Sonic(2) said as he pulled forth a mangled package. “If we’re on the other side of the forest, it could take us days to make it back to Mobotropolis.”

“Uh, if we’re on the other side of the forest, wouldn’t it be easier just to make for Knothole where they also have communications equipment?”

“Yeah, if we knew the way to Knothole,” Sonic(2) answered. “I’ve never been there, so unless you’ve got a really good memory for directions, we’re outta luck.” Sonic(2) had a point. Though he could easily find his way to his own Knothole, this world’s Great Forest had a topography that was drastically different from his own, making it pretty much impossible for him to find anything familiar.

“Nuts!” Sonic(2) cried as he pulled forth what looked to Tails like a compass, albeit a broken one. “Well this is definitely not our day, is it your Highness?” Truth be told, the young fox wasn’t paying attention, instead checking the trunks of trees for something. “What’s up?”

“I’m looking for moss,” Tails explained, going into science geek mode. “In the northern hemisphere, it grows mostly on the north side of tree trunks. If we find moss, we know where north is. Since we were traveling northeast to Knothole, we should be able find our way back if we know what direction is southwest. Provided, of course, that we didn’t get knocked too far off course.” At the thought of that, Tails’s enthusiasm somewhat dropped. Sensing his friend’s sudden depression, Sonic(2) endeavored to alleviate it.

“Way past cool Miles, between your brains and my speed, we’ll be back home in time for supper,” Sonic(2) smiled, the hedgehog’s overflowing confidence emboldening Tails again.

~How does he do that?~ Soon they found a group of trees with a suitable amount of moss growing on them to determine north. Armed with the knowledge of where they had to go, the two friends set off.

**************************

Meanwhile, Sonic(1) was having about as much fun as his furry friend had been having. The black painted hedgehog sat angrily in the cage he’d been tossed into, his arms crossed in front of him as he glared at the computer that was currently monitoring him. Garivald was nobody’s fool and knew that if he tried to drop his eavesdropping prisoner into the dungeons, too many questions would need to be answered. Questions that the badger could not afford to have answered; particularly since news of the Prince’s shuttle being shot down had just started to come in. 

Unfolding his arms, Sonic(1) pushed a finger towards one of the bars of his cage, yanking it back as electric energy leapt forward to discourage him.

“I fail to understand why you keep doing that,” Synthia said as she watched the hedgehog. “Do you honestly believe that at some point I will break the circuit and allow you to leave?”

“No, but I am wondering just how long you’re gonna keep me here.”

“Most likely until the end of your life, Mr. Shadow,” the computer replied. “This will probably not be very much longer, particularly given the information you possess.”

“I was kinda afraid of that,” Sonic(1) said, losing none of the cockiness in his voice. “Unfortunately I don’t think I can stick around that long; got a hot date tonight with a cute little shrew. So how’s about you be a good girl with no face and let me outta here?”

“Unlikely. I suggest you prepare to spend your night alone.”

“Well I might have a different opinion on that.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, you see, I’ve noticed that whenever one side of this cage gets shocky and all that, the other side kinda just fizzles, you know?” Suddenly Sonic(1) tore off one of his gloves, throwing it at the bars that separated himself and Synthia. Predictably, the glove was fried as electricity shot through it, generating a great deal of smoke. This in turn provided Sonic cover to spin dash his way through the bars behind him to freedom. 

“Halt, hedgehog,” Synthia called after him.

“Do all you computers memorize the same commands or is it just you bad ones?” Sonic(1) asked as he sped away, narrowly avoiding a cleaning robot Synthia had commandeered to trip him with. “I’d love to stay and chat, but like I said I have a date. Plus I gotta go collect a certain two-tailed fox.”

“Unlikely. By this time Bandit Lord Kodos will have most likely annihilated Prince Miles Elias. Not even you, with your obvious speed enhancement, could get to him in time.”

“Then you don’t know my little buddy. I’d bet my shoes he’s probably running rings around that overstuffed lion even as we speak.”

“A pity you had to talk to me, Mr. Shadow. Maybe if you hadn’t you would have escaped.” At Synthia’s command, five more robot cleaners appeared.

“Psh, you think that’s gonna stop me? How lame can you get?” As if to answer his challenge, several of the “bricks” in the wall of the room rotated out of their places and revealed themselves to be lasers. “Okay, that’s pretty cool...” As the lasers began to fire, the robots surged forward, intent on capturing the hedgehog. Quick as lightning, Sonic(1) retreated back several steps.

“What do you think you will accomplish? Eventually you will run out of floor to escape to.”

“Who says I need floor?” Sonic(1) quipped as he leapt onto Synthia’s terminal console. “I just need a surface for them to blast.”

“No wait!” Too late, the lasers targeted their black objective and fired. Sonic(1) moved out of the way and the lasers struck the console, destroying it. Then the screens that had been showing Synthia’s electronic face all went dead as the formerly aggressive defenses suddenly stopped.

~So, she can’t control anything unless she’s present somewhere. That’s good to know.~ Quickly before the AI could find a way to come back online in the room, Sonic(1) left. Through the hallways of the castle the hedgehog used his new darker colors to blend in with the shadows to avoid being seen. For all he knew, Garivald had managed to convince the King that a certain hedgehog janitor was responsible for the attack on his son’s hover-unit. As he neared the castle’s front courtyard, he noticed that King Acorn had assembled a large number of Mobians in the open area before the main gate. The number of creatures was so large it actually stretched back up the stairs leading into the garden and nearly back into the palace itself. ~Looks like Maxie’s got plans of his own to find my little buddy. It’d probably be a good idea for me to tag along somehow.~

Silently Sonic(1) made his way down to the courtyard, listening as he did so to the King as he gave instructions to his loyal soldiers.

“As I am sure you are all aware, two hours ago, the hover-unit carrying my son, Prince Miles, as well as his friend the squire Sonic Hedgehog, was shot down somewhere over the Great Forest. I am hereby sending you all out in small search groups to comb the forest itself as well as the surrounding area, all of the area. I myself shall be in a search party searching the last known coordinates of the crashed shuttle. It is highly likely that the young Prince may be either injured, evading pursuit, captured, or any combination of the three.” Sonic(1) frowned as he searched for a likely candidate to donate a uniform to him so he could blend in. Connery stood before the King then, giving instructions to the soldiers that were his to command.

“You are to use extreme care, it is entirely possible that whoever shot the Prince down is still in the forest, no doubt searching for him. They will try to prevent any sort of search and rescue. You will maintain radio contact on secure channels to avoid interception. You will each be broken into eight man squads to search a 2 square mile area of the forest. Those of you chosen to cross over into Overlander Territory will be searching a 1 square mile area in order to keep our forces from getting overwhelmed over there. I have no need to tell you that if the Overlanders suspect our presence, they will retaliate. Therefore, you are ordered to avoid Overlander patrols at all reasonable cost.” 

Here the horse knight paused, taking a breath in what Sonic quickly realized was preparation to give a distasteful order. Sally had used the same tactic many times when Robotnik had forced her hand with his more nightmarish plots. 

“If, however, there is no way to avoid the patrol, you are hereby authorized to take whatever steps necessary to prevent the Overlanders from learning of our presence.” Though he did not come out and say it straightforward, the assembled soldiers understood the meaning perfectly. If they had to, they were permitted to kill any patrol that got too close. Sonic(1) gritted his teeth as he thought about it. Dismantling SWATbots was one thing, but tearing through other living creatures? He wasn’t sure he could do that.

“Everyone, report to your hover-units for deployment,” Connery commanded, dismissing the troops to make their way to the hanger via the castle’s Grand Hall. Working quickly, Sonic(1) sought out a suitable target for him to replace. An unlucky porcupine had the misfortune to pass a darkened corridor on his way to the hangar when two gloved hands clamped down on his mouth and head. Before he could even squeak a protest, the porcupine found himself yanked inside and knocked cold. Grinning, Sonic(1) stripped the jacket and beret off the unconscious soldier.

“Sorry buddy, but right now I need to borrow this.”

“I am not believing zhose are yours mon ami,” said a familiar voice. Sonic(1) looked behind him to find none other than Antoine D’Coolette standing before him in the dim light, sword drawn and aimed right at Sonic(1). For a split second, the black hedgehog was tempted to laugh as he recalled his own Antoine’s similar attempts to appear dangerous.

“Look I don’t want any trouble.”

“Zhat is not what it is appearing to me, Mr. Hoghedge,” Antoine retorted inching closer. Behind him, Sonic(1) could hear the sound of the last members of the search party leaving the Grand Hall. 

“I don’t have time for this Twan, so you need to just get outta my way before I’m forced hurt you.” Much to Sonic(1)’s surprise, this failed to force the young coyote out of the way.

“I am not leaving, I have been seeing you all ovair zhe palace, and I see-ed you watching the King from zhe shadows. I demand to know who you are being and why you are here.” Sonic faced a problem. While there was no doubt in his mind he could take the aristocrat in a fight, he knew from personal experience that the first thing Antoine would do would be to make as much noise as possible, thus hopefully alerting others to the intruder’s presence. This would most likely hold up any search party trying to find Tails simply on the theory that Sonic(1) might know where he was, time his young friend might not have to spare at the moment.

“Look you gotta trust me here Twan…”

“I fail to see why, particularly since you seem to know me, but I do not recognize vous.”

“I’m… I’m a secret agent,” Sonic(1) semi-lied.

“You are not looking like a member of His Majesty’s Secret Service.”

“You’re right… I don’t… because I’m not,” Sonic(1) said, racking his brain to come up with a plausible story. “I’m not in the Secret Service with St. John. Come on, you’ve seen how high a profile those goons keep Antoine. What good would they do on real covert missions?”

“You are saying you are part of a different agency?”

“Yeah. Real super-secret hush-hush, ya know. Only the King knows we exist. Everyone else? We’re just Joe and Jane Everymobian.”

“Zat is… Zhen why were you attacking a royal guard?”

“I gotta get on that transport with the King. You know, ‘case he needs backup.” Sonic(1)’s thoughts were interrupted however, as he heard the familiar roar of the hover-units. “And apparently I’ve missed my ride. Looks like I’m gonna have to run to catch up.”

“Wait,” Antoine commanded, his sword once more raised. “You must be taking me with you.”

“What?” the hedgehog asked, sticking a finger in his ear. “Say again? I don’t think I heard you.”

“I said you must be taking me with you. If zhe Prince and Soneec are out zhere, then it is my duty to help search for zhem.”

“No. I don’t have time to babysit.”

“Babysit? You are not looking so overly old yourself mon ami. And perhaps I should be asking as to why a group knowned only to zhe King would recruit what appears to be a teenager?” Sonic(1) gritted his teeth. Antoine was fairly perceptive, and it seemed as though this counterpart took that to the next level.

“Fine, you can come with me Coyote-Kid. But you gotta hang on.”

“Hang on? Hang on to whaaaaaaaaaa…” Was all Antoine managed to say as Sonic(1) took off at top speed with the young aristocrat in tow.

**************************

Meanwhile, Sonic(2) and Tails picked their way slowly through the Great Forest. Unwilling to allow “his” friend to run at top speed with what could likely be a concussion, “Prince Miles” had all but ordered Sonic(2) into staying in first gear. Unfortunately, in combination with Tails’s inability to fly in Sonic(2)’s presence, this meant the duo could not be a hundred percent sure they were going in the right direction.

“Why is it so freaking hot?!” Sonic(2) complained angrily as he wiped his brow. Beside him Tails panted, also feeling the seemingly unnatural heat that surrounded them.

“I wish I knew, I’d make it stop,” he answered his friend. “Not even Robotropolis got this hot.”

“Robo-whatywhat?” Tails’s eyes opened as he realized he’d said something he shouldn’t have.

“Uh, nothing, just this place I read about in history books, an old hyoo-mun city.”

“Psht, fat lotta good those stories do us now,” Sonic(2) said testily. Tails let the comment roll off his back. Slow speeds were known to make the hyperactive hedgehog cranky.

“The point is, it shouldn’t be this hot in the Great Forest, especially not at this time of year,” Tails said. “I don’t like this; I don’t like this one bit.”

“Duck,” Sonic(2) commanded as he practically threw himself and Tails into some of the undergrowth of the forest. Above them Tails could make out the shape of a ship he’d never seen before as it flew over them. “An Overlander transport? What’s that doing over the Great Forest?”

“I thought part of the Great Forest was Overlander territory?” Tails asked.

“It is, but part of the nonaggression treaty they signed says they can’t fly anything over any part of the forest without an Acorn escort… ‘specially nothing as big as a transport,” Sonic(2) clarified for his friend. “And with you missing, I somehow doubt your Dad’s feeling overly generous towards them and willing to let them fly today.”

“But since when have Overlanders obeyed rules they didn’t like,” Tails responded somewhat pessimistically. A part of him didn’t feel right saying that, especially given the fact that he personally was friends with Hope, a known Overlander. But he also wasn’t about to blow his cover. “So, if they’re here, how come no one’s picking up on them?”

“I don’t know,” Sonic(2) admitted. Suddenly Tails snapped his fingers.

“I got it. The ship’s flying low to the forest, right? Well maybe there’s a reason. Sally said Knothole was so safe was because the density of the trees made it difficult for sensors to lock onto anything in the forest. If the pilot flies low enough to the trees, the sensors probably have a difficult time seeing him, like aerial camouflage.” Tails looked over at his companion to notice the blue hedgehog was giving him a somewhat curious look.

“Okay first off, who is this Sally girl you’re talking about? And secondly, when did you get interested in this kind of thing?”

“Sally was a… a writer I met in Echidnopolis. She talked about how guerrillas use forest cover to evade pursuit and said that was why Knothole was so safe. And if I’m gonna be king, don’t I need to know this kind of stuff for myself?” Sonic(2) still looked fairly skeptical, but, much to Tails’s relief, he decided to let it slide.

“Okay, so the question remains WHY the Overlanders are feeling the need to run a transport over the Great Forest.” Quickly Sonic(2) sped up his pace, following behind the large craft’s wake.

“I thought we were trying to get home?” Tails asked, mindful of the fact that he was only borrowing this life for the time being, and thus had to be doubly sure it didn’t end prematurely. “Besides, I don’t think we’re prepared to deal with a bunch of Overlanders right now.”

“We’re never really prepared Miles, but we do it anyway,” Sonic(2) said in a flippant voice. Turning to the fox, the hedgehog noticed how upset the kit looked. “Look, I know we’re not at our best, so we’re not gonna do anything drastic all right. We’re not gonna do anything more than scout the area and see what they’re up to. After that, we beat feet back to Mobotropolis, ‘kay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your Highness, this could be real important. And the King would have no way of knowing how important if we don’t check it out.” Tails wanted to believe Sonic(2), but years spent tagging along after his own heroically inclined hedgehog had taught him that limits were not his hero’s strong point. 

~Still, he does have a point. Who knows what the Overlanders are up to.~

“All right Sonic, we do a little scouting, and then we leave, okay?”

“Promise, big guy, promise.” With that agreement between them, the two Mobians made their way after the transport. As they progressed through the forest, the heat that had just a few moments ago been merely uncomfortable was beginning to become downright oppressive. All around him Tails noticed signs of the forest’s suffering as the plant life was dried out by the unnaturally hot air. Even the wind felt hotter than it should have been.

“Man what I wouldn’t do for a soda. Or even a glass of water,” Sonic(2) stated.

“At this point I’d settle for a wet patch of grass I could chew,” Tails added. That was when the kitsune’s ears perked up as he heard a strange sound. It reminded him a little of the spooky sound Sonic(1) liked to make by blowing over the top of an open bottle of pop. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“A ‘whooshing’ sound. Like air being forced out of a tube.” Slowly Tails made his way towards the source of the noise and the hot wind, Sonic(2) right beside him. As they picked their way out of the undergrowth of the forest, they suddenly found themselves in a clearing, a clearing that bordered either side of the Forest Scar.

“How in the world did we get here? The Forest Scar is in the eastern section of the forest, we were headed southwest,” Sonic(2) said.

“Sonic look,” Tails cried as he pointed to the four massive metal vents that rose up the sides of the ravine. Very carefully the duo approached the massive constructs, covering their ears as the sound of rushing air grew in intensity. “This is where all the hot air is coming from. It must have changed the climate in the forest; made the moss grow on the wrong side of the trees.”

“But what is it doing here?” Two dark shadows moved across the ground and both the fox and hedgehog barely had time to hide before they did so. Above them, more ships, different from the transport before, passed over. “Outrider Skybikes.”

“Well, looks like we found the Overlanders. Let’s see what they’re up to,” the royal kitsune said. Before he could move however, Sonic(2) grabbed his shoulder.

“Uh-uh bro, you’re safest back here where no one can see you. I’ll make sure its safe, then I’ll call you over, ‘kay?”

“All right, just be careful.” Sonic(2) left Tails as he made his way to the edge of the ravine, laying down flat on his belly as he looked over the edge. When nothing tried to blast his head off, he motioned for the fox to come and see what he saw. Mimicking his guardian, Tails crawled on his furry belly over to where Sonic lay and looked.

It could be argued that Tails had seen a great deal in his short life that would have effectively dulled his ability to be shocked or scared. He had been on the Floating Island when it had temporarily lost its ability to float. He had faced off against his own best friend as a mindless robot. He had even stared down the business end of a giant space cannon, fought with a megalomaniacal god-wannabe, and stared into the face of cruelty incarnate. Yet what Tails saw in the ravine was enough to make his blood run cold. 

“The Death Egg!”


	8. Deja Vu Scrambled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faced with the alter Mobius version of the Death Egg, Tails sets out to sabotage the Overlanders evil weapon. But a new hurdle makes itself known in his attempt to save his new friends.

~How? How is it possible? If Robotnik’s a good guy, how in the name of the Walkers is that monstrosity here?~ Tails asked himself again and again as he stared horrified down into the Forest Scar. Though it didn’t exactly match his memories, the little fox was more than sure that the machine being built by the Overlanders was indeed the same Death Egg Robotnik had once created to help him conquer Mobius; and it was almost ready to launch.

“Miles? Yo, little bro? Mobius to Acorn, come in please,” Sonic(2) said, trying to snap Tails out of his stupefication.

“We have to destroy that thing,” Tails managed to say as he snapped back to reality.

“I agree, we can’t let the Overlanders establish a base this close to the city. When we get back we gotta tell Connery everything about it.” Sonic(2) then turned to leave, only to find himself suddenly pinned to the ground by his foxy friend.

“No you don’t understand, you have to listen,” Tails said, dragging the blue Mobian’s eyes back to the machine. “This isn’t a base, at least not in the way you think. It’s a ship. Those ‘legs’ on the sphere’s bottom are thrusters.” Sonic(2) looked at the kitsune as though he’d grown a second head to go with his second tail.

“That’s nuts. Not even the Overlanders would be dumb enough to think they could keep something that big in the air for any real length of time.” It was true. On his own world, Tails’s Robotnik had come to realize that too. Though the Death Egg was incredibly powerful, there was just no feasible way to keep its engines supplied with enough rocket fuel to keep it aloft for more than a day and a half, a fact that put a severe crimp in his plans to use it to enslave Mobius. That was why the mad dictator had given up on using the rockets to do anything more than lift the ship to a proper altitude. To keep it aloft, Robotnik had turned to a far more powerful energy source; the Chaos Emeralds.

~But on this world, the emeralds are all with the echidnas and Enerjak. So what are the Overlanders planning to do about fuel consumption? It’s not like they can just turn off gravi…~ With a shudder, the young vulpine mechanic realized that there was a way for the Overlanders to nullify gravity’s hold on their ship, one which would simultaneously ensure the giant battle station would be safe from a Mobian counter-assault. 

“Walkers help us, they’re going to put it in ORBIT!” he stated with much alarm.

“What?”

“The Death Egg; they’re gonna use it as an orbital base and blast the kingdom from space,” Tails said, turning towards Sonic(2). “They know the kingdom doesn’t have anything that can get to the upper atmosphere, so they’re going to attack us from space!”

“Boy, that would sound so much cooler if it wasn’t actually happening to us,” Sonic(2) said as he looked back down at the ship. “Okay, so we can’t leave until we’ve done something to at least slow them up until your father can send troops.”

“If we take out the thrusters and wipe whatever guidance controls they have, they won’t be able to launch until they get new ones. But we have to make it noticeable or they might launch anyway. And if that thing explodes in the air, it’ll pelt the city and forest with tons of metal debris,” Tails explained. “I should be able to take care of the computer system, think you can do some damage to the thrusters?”

“If I know where to go,” Sonic(2) admitted.

“No prob, I can hack that info from their systems. Let’s go.” With that, Tails began to climb down into the ravine, completely oblivious to the curious expression his “friend” was giving him.

***********************

“ATTENTION!” At this simple word, thirty-two pairs of feet snapped together as thirty-two right hands simultaneously rose in salute while thirty-two backbones stiffened to perfect rigidity. The Overlander soldiers present stood in two rows at perfect attention as a tall, muscular, red headed Overlander with close cropped hair and square jaw marched between them, a pinched and angry look on his face.

“Men, I do not have to tell you how important the completion of this station is to the future of MegaCentral,” the Overlander commander said. “With this weapon, not only will we topple the presumptuous and outrageous ‘Kingdom of Acorn,’ as well as my traitorous little brother, but we will strike a blow at all these so called ‘Mobians,’ reminding them just who is the dominate species of this world.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“That being said men; I must remind you that secrecy is our best weapon in this case. At least until the ‘prince’ is announced as heir apparent to the animals’ throne. So I must now inform you of troubling news. It would seem that some cocky, ill-disciplined hooligan has gone and shot down an Acorn hover-unit, right over the Great Forest no less. While I know no one here would be so foolish as to bring such unwanted attention to us, this nevertheless does mean there is a possibility of at least one furry being in the area.”

“Well he’s certainly a beacon of encouragement, isn’t he?” Tails whispered to his friend as they peeked out of the metal drum they were hiding in.

“I don’t think ol’ Colin’s ever said one nice thing about anyone your highness,” Sonic(2) answered. “Kinda makes it understandable as to why Robotnik jumped ship on him, eh?” Tails nodded lightly.

“Despite this, I fervently believe that we will be able to complete the Dark Star and get it into orbit by nightfall, or at least we will once the beasts have been cleared from the area. And once our mighty battle station is out of reach and over the Mobians’ collective heads, we will destroy their entire city’s defenses and finally take what we so rightfully deserve.”

“Hurrah!” the assembled Overlanders exclaimed.

“Now then, return to your posts and keep watch. Remember, do not engage any furries unless absolutely necessary. Dismissed!” The gaggle of soldiers dispersed as Colin himself left the area. Once all was clear, Sonic(2) lifted the lid from the drum and he and Tails got out.

“I knew this was an orbital weapon,” Tails said, looking at the large black monolith. 

“Yeah, you’re batting a thousand,” Sonic said in a somewhat sarcastic tone of voice. “Okay, first thing to do is get inside that thing. See any doors anywhere?”

“No, but if the Overlanders are working on it, there has to be a way inside.” Carefully the duo began to sneak around the base. Soon they found what looked like a mess tent where in several Overlanders in hardhats and coveralls were finishing eating. When the workers left, they had no notion of the two Mobians following them, and thus did not know they had led their enemies to the entrance of “Dark Star.”

Quickly so they wouldn’t be noticed, Tails and Sonic(2) entered; sliding themselves into the first alcove they found, which turned out to be a closet.

~I guess since they have to man this thing with living beings, they had to make some design changes,~ Tails thought to himself. ~Or was it Robotnik who made the changes?~ It had been one of the mysteries of the war as to how Robotnik had both designed and built a machine as grand and complex as the Death Egg from scratch all by himself, and so quickly too. Now it seemed as though he’d actually modified a weapon the Overlanders had been trying to build towards the end of the Mobian War. ~And since the Overlanders were never kicked off the planet here, they just kept building this thing.~

“Yo Miles, think it’s safe to go through here?” Sonic asked as he pulled the grating off of a vent. “With this thing so close to completion, the ventilation shafts should all be connected, wouldn’t you say?”

“Probably, but we still have to be careful. The Overlanders probably already have a cleaning system in place too, and I bet it won’t take kindly to two piles of ‘dirt’ our size.” The blue hedgehog snickered at the comment as they both crawled into the entrance. In the darkness of the shafts, Tails made sure to stop at every opening to try to ascertain where they were, a task he was attempting to perform from memory.

“So where are we going?”

“We need to get to a computer terminal so I can access the ship’s memory for a map. But we have to find one that isn’t used all that much.”

“Hey I got an idea; the Armory,” Sonic(2) said, continuing to elaborate. “This ship’s gotta have an Armory, but since it’s still under construction, they wouldn’t want to use it right now, right? And there’s probably a computer in there to help keep track of any weapons and equipment that get taken out.”

“Nice idea, but we’d still have to find it.”

“Yeah, but I know Overlanders. The Armory’s gonna be on the level where the most activity will be, so all the soldiers know where it is.”

“That would be the central level of the base then, which means we need to go up.” Soon both Mobians found their way to an elevator shaft. Since his hands were slenderer, Tails was the one to reach through the grating and remove it so they could ascend the ladders used by the maintenance crews. “This thing should have thirteen levels, so we need to get to level seven.”

It took them a little under forty minutes to climb to the seventh level, a task that was lengthened by the fact that they’d had to get out of the way of a descending elevator car. Finally though, the duo returned to the relative safety of the ventilation system. Once more they began to check out the openings, looking for any clues to lead them to the armory.

****************************

“How goes the system’s checks doctor?” asked the voice of Colin Kintobor.

“As well as can be expected Commander,” answered another voice as a shriveled little man in a lab coat walked beside him. “Hopefully we will complete the testing soon.”

“Hopefully?”

“This is not a job we can rush Commander. If any of these systems fail, it is likely that Dark Star will not be able to sustain its orbit and will crash into Mobius.”

“Move as quickly as you can permit then. This station must be fully operational and in position before Prince Miles’s Ascension Ceremony,” Colin laughed. “A nice little present from us to him; payback for all the trouble he caused us.”

“Very well sir.”

*****************************

“Psst, hey kid, I think I found it,” Sonic(2) said, tapping the fox on the shoulder. Through the grate they saw two Overlanders in uniform, one with a rifle strapped to his back, obviously guarding the other Overlander who pushed a dolly on which more such weapons rested. When the guard placed his hand on the wall next to a door, the door slid open and allowed them to enter, snapping shut behind them. After a few minutes, the two soldiers exited the room, sans the dolly of weapons they’d carried in. “What are the odds that room isn’t the armory?”

“Pretty bad I’d say. Now we just need to get in.” As luck would have it, a darkened shaft of the ventilation system ran right over the targeted room. Quickly the two Mobians crawled onward, with Tails noticing the unusual studs in the metal as they passed over the wall.

~I guess they plan to use shield generators to seal this room off once they get into space,~ he thought.

After a few moments of careful feeling around, the two intruders finally found the grating that marked the entrance they were looking for. Inside, the Armory was completely dark, with only a few colored lights blinking on and off, the light they gave off barely enough to make themselves visible. 

Sonic(2) grunted with a frustration of one who is constantly forced to overcome inconvenient obstacles and reached into his sock to pull forth what Tails could almost barely make out to be a pen. With the push of a button, the tip of the “pen” suddenly illuminated, revealing itself to be, in fact, a penlight. Though it wasn’t much, the tiny light source did prove enough to allow Tails to see the grating and to free it from its proper place. Careful not to drop the metallic object, he carefully pulled it back into the ventilation shaft and then both hedgehog and fox lightly slide down onto what felt like a metal cabinet. Taking the penlight from Sonic(2), Tails began to cast its light around the room, searching for a computer terminal he could use. Finally he found an I/O terminal set up on the wall.

“I think I found a way in Sonic,” the kit happily said. “Now we should be able to stall the Overlanders long enough for ‘Dad’ to do something about this.”

“That’s great kid, there’s just one problem.” Tails turned to find out what Sonic(2) was referring to, only to find that the hedgehog had pulled a laser pistol off the wall and was pointing it at him. “I don’t believe King Acorn’s really your Dad.”


	9. A Matter of Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forced to let Squire Sonic in on what's going on, Tails must now trust in the would-be knight's help to stop the Dark Star.

“Sonic, what are you doing?” Tails asked as he raised his hands into the air.

“Don’t ‘Sonic’ me pal, I wanna know who you are and where Prince Miles is, right now,” Sonic(2) said as he advanced on the kit. “Miles is a smart kid, but I doubt he knows half the stuff you keep talking about. Just a little too convenient if you ask me.”

“Look Sonic, you don’t understand…”

“No, I think I do. I’ve been letting a lot of things slide since you showed up, mainly ‘cause I thought you were still upset over whatever happened to you, but now I think different. I’m bettin’ Prince Miles never did return; that you just placed yourself in the swamp so we could find you and take you home. Let me guess, you thought you’d just play act the part until Miles got named Crown Prince, then you get to usurp the throne no problem… Or maybe you just hand it over to that stinkin’ traitor Garivald, huh?”

“Sonic you have to listen to…”

“Look kid I’m not that interested in hearing lies, okay!” Out of options, Tails decided it was time to do something a bit more proactive. Moving at the same lightning speed that had always allowed him to keep up with his own blue hedgehog, Tails charged his “captor.” Startled that anything other than him could move so fast, Sonic(2) did not have time to react as the kitsune disarmed him, then moved to get out of range of any attacks that might have followed.

“Okay, color me impressed,” Sonic(2) said, glaring at Tails. “But that does support my whole ‘You are not the Prince’ theory. No way Miles can move like that.” Tails held up his hands again.

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m not Prince Miles, but I AM Miles Prower, just not the one you know.”

“Huh? Mind explaining that one to me?”

“Okay, but this may be a bit difficult. Can I have your word not to do anything ‘till I’m done?”

“I don’t know...”

“Look if you don’t believe me when I’m done I’ll happily turn myself in, but right now we have to stop this thing or the whole Kingdom’s gonna be toast.” When Sonic(2) finally nodded, Tails lowered his hands. “Okay, do you know anything about the idea of parallel worlds?”

“Only that they’re a cheesy science fiction plot device,” Sonic(2) answered. “Don’t tell me that’s your story.” Tails grinned sheepishly; obviously this was not off to the best of starts.

“Okay… Well cheesy or not, there exists in this multiverse an infinite number of universes all identical to each other, except they took a different course through time. Believe me, I’ve been to a few of them, it can get pretty freaky. There’s one universe that sorta runs, well, through all of the universes, and it’s populated by Mobians and people whose job it is to keep everything separate and stable so the whole multiverse doesn’t implode.”

“And you’re one of these…?”

“Zone Cops.”

“Zone Cops… Riiiight.” It was at this point that Sonic(2) looked like he’d rather commit Tails than listen to more.

“Look, I know it can sound stupid, but with everything you’ve seen on this world, is it really so far fetched?” Tails asked. “But getting back to my explanation, a few months ago a being from my world started reeking havoc in the multiverse, destroying the different universes in an attempt to recreate… Are you all right?” Sonic(2) had begun to look horrified, as though he was experiencing a very vivid nightmare.

“The… the dream…”

“Yes, I’m afraid it wasn’t really a dream. The elephant, Mammoth Mogul, destroyed your universe completely. It’s not something I really wanted you to know about.”

“But… then how are we…”

“Still here? Simple. One of the Zone Cops, in fact your counterpart amongst them, Zonic, took it upon himself to find a way to beat back Mogul. Before each reality was destroyed, he zipped in and saved my counterparts. For reasons I don’t fully understand, with enough energy available, I’m able to match Mogul in power, which is why your Prince Miles went missing in the first place. So, after we brought down Mogul, we set all the universes back to normal and were supposed to be returned home.”

“What happened then?”

“Uh, some of us got lost along the way,” Tails said, his cheeks underneath his fur blushing with embarrassment. “And unfortunately, your Prince Miles was one of them.”

“And you’re here as a replacement I guess,” Sonic(2) accused, crossing his arms.

“No! Nonononono, NO!” Tails said, shaking his head and waving his arms for emphasis. “This place is nice but I wanna go home to my own family and friends. It’s just that you guys were getting ready to declare the Prince dead. So the Zone Cops asked me if I’d mind filling in until they could find him. It was going really well I thought, but then we got shot down, and Kodos attacked me, and we found the Overlanders… And I am seriously beginning to think we do something to attract all these problems.”

“Okay, so you’re not some nasty double out to steal my buddy’s life. And I’m guessing you know so much about this thing ‘cause it happened on your world the same way.”

“Uh, more or less.” With the threat of Sonic(2) now past, Tails turned on the computer terminal and began the job of searching the directories for blueprints of the station.

“So, do you think you can get into the system?” Sonic(2) asked, his tone indicating he was back to business as usual.

“Hopefully. I’ve hacked Robotnik’s computers before, but I don’t know enough about Colin Kintobor to guess the kinds of security he’d use.”

“I’m sure there’s a real interesting story as to why you’d be hacking Robotnik’s computers, right?”

“Not so much interesting as terrifying,” Tails answered. “Okay, the bad news is that the security system is in place. The good news is that it’s still undergoing a set-up procedure, trying to figure out where and what everything is.”

“Okay, pretending I don’t speak computer geek, this means?”

“I can access the data I want, provided it hasn’t been accessed before. The problem is that once I do, the security programs will ask for a password set up. And since they’re already trying to set it up, anything that anomalous will immediately get noticed.”

“So in other words we gotta be quick, huh? No problamo. Just tell me where I gotta go.” So saying Sonic(2) tossed something to Tails, which the little fox caught with ease.

“A headset?”

“Since we don’t have any, I figure we can just borrow the ones they have. It should be all right, ‘slong as we don’t keep it on a frequency that’s in use.” The oversized headsets were a cumbersome fit for both of the smaller Mobians, but with a little work both became serviceable. Quickly Sonic(2) climbed back up into the ventilation system. “I trust you have a way to keep them from noticing you if they come in here.”

“‘You’ taught me how to play hide and seek with the best of them. I can turn off the terminal with a button then make myself scarce if anyone gets nosey. But you gotta create enough of a distraction so I can mess with the programs I need to to keep this thing on the ground. It does me no good if they start correcting the errors before I can make them irreparable.”

“Gotcha Mi… Say, if you’re not Prince Miles, what do I call you?”

“My friends call me Tails.”

**********************

Colin Kintobor didn’t like this, not one bit. The official stance on the Mobians from the bureaucracy in MegaCentral was that they were nothing more than overly pretentious animals aping Overlander abilities and activities. Supposedly they had no ability to be original on their own, with all advances simply resulting from theft of technology from the Overlanders themselves. Colin didn’t buy into that pile of refuse for an instant. 

He’d been fighting the Mobians for most of his adult life and, while he’d had to swallow and spout the tripe his political “masters” often fed him and the general populace, he’d also come to gain a healthy respect for the Mobians’ collective abilities. That’s what was making him feel so ill at ease at the Dark Star’s construction site. The Mobians were not stupid, nor were they particularly unobservant. Even with the Dark Star being built in secrecy inside what they’d so charmingly named the Forest Scar, Colin had expected some form of interference from the furry troublemakers, particularly as the project had wound itself to completion. And yet, here they were. Dark Star was almost ready to launch, its construction site ready to be dismantled quickly afterwards to keep the secret, and still no Mobians. Granted, Intel had said the Kingdom of Acorn had been in something of an uproar with the apparent loss of their Prince (which in turn had something to do with the horrific nightmare that apparently both Mobians AND Overlanders had experienced), but Colin just couldn’t see King Maximillian Acorn giving up on his Kingdom’s security measures completely; particularly since Prince Miles had safely returned home apparently.

Then it had happened. Reports that someone, somewhere had launched an unprovoked attack against a traveling hover-unit had come to his ears. What was worse, Colin had heard that the ship attacked was none other than Sojourner, one of three royal transports. That somewhat limited the options for who was traveling in it. As Colin had said, the Mobians weren’t fools. There was no way the entire Royal Family had been on that ship when it was attacked, and even less chance that the one that had been had conveniently perished in the craft. Now the forest was supposedly crawling with the entire Mobian Grand Army as they searched for the missing royal.

~If I could find that missing meddler, I’d drop kick him back to Mobotropolis just to get him outta my hair,~ the Overlander commander thought to himself, suffering no illusions as to just which member of the royal family would have taken it upon himself to do something so inconvenient. 

“Sir we may have a problem,” one of the computer technicians said.

“What do you mean we ‘may’ have a problem? Either we do or we don’t.”

“Well I can’t say for sure sir. All I know is that the system is having trouble finding a file that should be there.”

“That sounds like a job for you techno-geeks, not me.”

“You did say you wanted to be kept appraised of our progress. And I was only alarmed because the file that is missing appears to be a map of the station’s thruster system.”

“A map!? Well where is the file?”

“I was just about to call it up by name, sir. One moment, please.” The tech typed at the keyboard for a few seconds, summoning a plethora of different windows to the screen. Suddenly, his face dropped in a frown. “What the…?”

“Something wrong?”

“The system’s asking me for a password. But the map files haven’t been recognized for it yet. They shouldn’t be password protected yet.” The technician turned to his colleagues. “Has anyone here activated the security protocols for the map and blueprint files yet?” The assembled Overlanders emphatically shook their collective heads. “Oh dear…”

“What?”

“Well, the only way this could happen was if someone else accessed the file before us. But that would mean…” Colin’s eyes narrowed as he understood the implication.

“We have an intruder.”

**************************

Sonic(2) moved swiftly through the completed sections of the Dark Star Battle Station, a smile on his face. Tails had told him that there were no Overlanders present in the area since they were busy helping to supply the rest of the ship for take-off, which meant the blue hedgehog wasn’t trapped in the air vents anymore, a fact that was doing him a world of good. 

“Okay Sonic, three hallways down you need to take a left, got it?” Tails asked him over the headsets they’d pilfered.

“Roger Tails,” the hedgehog replied as he executed the instructions. “So, any ideas how I’m supposed to bring this thing down?”

“Well according to the blueprints, there should be several large connecting bolts holding the rockets to the ship, plus there’s a hatch that should give you access to the outside. If you destroy the bolts, the sheer weight of this thing should get it rolling to crush the thruster, and hopefully cause some structural damage to boot.”

“Roger kiddo, color me there.” Sonic(2) began to pick up speed through the corridors as he looked for the hatch in question. As he looked, the hallway was suddenly filled with red light as an alarm klaxon began to ring.

“Sonic, I think we’ve been made.”

“What was your first clue,” the hedgehog replied as he jumped out of the way of a laserbolt. All along the walls security lasers had come to life, targeting the intruder amongst them. “Tails I think it would be a really good idea for you to hide yourself.”

“Already on it Sonic, don’t worry. I just have a bit of sabotage to do and then I’ll meet you at the top of the ravine, okay?”

“Roger.” Sonic(2) smiled as he finally found the hatch he’d been looking for. 

“That’s far enough hedgehog,” a familiar voice said from behind Sonic(2).

“Kintobor. Fancy meeting you here.” The Overlander stood with four soldiers all aiming laser rifles at the blue intruder.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what your targets would be you little rat, particularly since you two were foolish enough to use our equipment to keep in touch. Though I really have to know where that little fuzzball acquired such intimate knowledge of a TOP-SECRET military weapon. Don’t tell me your ‘King’ has already given him control of the kingdom?”

“What can I say; Miles and I are just good like that. I’d love to stick around and chat with ya some more but, ya know, gotta dash.” Like a rocket Sonic took off, racing along the walls and ceiling as the Overlanders attempted shoot him. However, while Sonic was able to avoid the laserfire, the soldiers were able to keep him pinned down away from the hatch. Angrily, the hedgehog opted to retreat for now.

********************

For his part, Tails had moved back into ventilation system to leave the room undetected, leaving said system just as quickly as he could. His time with the Freedom Fighters had taught him quite well the lesson of never using the same path twice in one day, and the thought that the Overlanders wouldn’t have SOMETHING in their ventilation system to keep it from getting compromised made even HIM feel stupid. 

“Sonic… Sonic… come in Sonic,” the kit whispered into the headset, clinging to the hope that Sonic was still able to use his own.

“No Sonic here, ‘Your Highness,’ just a very angry Overlander Commander,” came a voice Tails recognized as Colin Kintobor’s.

“Sorry, wrong number,” Tails answered as he tore the headset off and hurled it down the hall he wasn’t taking. Now was the time to get moving and take out the computers. Carefully Tails snuck through the hallways, ducking into any little alcove he could find whenever he heard the pitter-patter of soldiers’ feet.

~I need to find a computer,~ Tails thought to himself. That was when he spied two Overlanders, a male and a female, wearing white coats and carrying a stack of papers. An evil look came over his face. ~And I’m betting they can help me find one.~ Stalking up behind the two of them, Tails jumped up and smashed his fist as hard as he could into the back of the man’s head, knocking him unconscious. As the woman turned to see what had happened, Tails latched onto her neck, swinging himself onto her back like a backpack as he deftly plucked a penlight from one of the woman’s coat pockets.

“If you value you’re life, you won’t make a sound,” Tails commanded in as sinister a voice as he could pull off, jabbing the penlight into the woman’s back. “This is a disruptor pistol pointed at you, and don’t think I won’t hesitate to use it.”

“Who are you,” the woman asked?

“‘snot important, what is important is what I want you to do. You’re going to take me to the nearest unguarded computer and you’re going to log me onto it,” Tails answered, hoping his Aunt Sally would forgive him for being so rude to a lady. Somehow he doubted he could charm this particular female into letting him run wild through their computer mainframe’s systems. Slowly the woman began to walk, with her kitsune captor being sure to keep his “gun” stuck in the woman’s back. Finally, she opened a door and they both stepped inside to find two more Overlanders in labcoats sitting at computers. As they entered, the two turned from their work.

“Dr. Bellum, what’s going on here?” one asked. Once more using his super-speed, Tails vaulted over his hostage and delivered a sharp kick and hard right to each technician respectively. Of course Dr. Bellum tried to run, but the foxy Freedom Fighter was too quick, getting back on her back.

“Don’t worry, they’re not dead,” Tails coaxed. “Just log me into the system and we can all get on with our lives.” With an angry look in her eyes, the Overlander capitulated to Tails’s demands, opening up access for him. Suddenly, she gasped as she finished when she felt a length of cord become wrapped around her arms and waist. Quickly Tails moved to secure her wrists to her chair’s armrests and her legs to its legs. “I’m sorry if this is uncomfortable, but I was told never to hit a lady,” Tails said, finally coming into to view before the startled woman.

“But you’re just a kid!”

“Yeah,” Tails agreed as he began typing furiously at the now defenseless computer. “I’m the kid who’s gonna turn all these programs into junk data.”

***************************

Sonic(2) moved swiftly through the corridors of the Dark Star, trying his hardest to look as though he knew where he was going as the Overlanders soldiers gave chase. In truth, since the blue hedgehog did not have a map of the battle station handy, he was trying to make only right hand turns, based on the assumption that eventually he would find himself back at the airlock that lead outside. Unfortunately, now that the entire base had been alerted to his presence, that plan was proving somewhat more suicidal than he’d hoped. 

“Blast that hedgehog,” came a gruff voice which was followed by two beams of energy striking the ground Sonic(2) had been occupying only a few seconds before.

~Man these guys just don’t give up,~ the hedgehog thought to himself. ~Well, if one way’s blocked off, guess I need to make a shortcut.~ Tucking himself into a ball, Sonic(2) leapt at the right metal surface of the nearby wall, quickly cutting his way through it and into the next hallway. The outer surface of the space station may have been designed to be impregnable, but the inner walls left something to be desired in repelling a living buzzsaw. Again and again Sonic(2) dove through the walls, avoiding the soldiers as he worked his way towards his destination. Finally he arrived at the airlock once more. With a grunt and a heave, the heavy door opened, leading outside.

“I wouldn’t do it Sonic,” Colin said as he appeared behind the hedgehog, a squad of Overlanders with him. “We have your partner in custody, and if you don’t surrender, I can promise you he won’t enjoy the experience.” Just as Colin spoke, the lights in the hallway began to flicker.

“Sir,” a frantic voice came over the Overlander Commander’s radio. “Someone’s messing with the systems… rewriting the programming, filling the whole thing with bugs, destroying the system. We’re trying to stop them but.”

“It’s the freak. Find where he’s hacking the system from and kill him!” Kintobor yelled, realizing the game was up. Sonic(2) smirked at him nastily. 

“You know Colly, I don’t think he’s the one who’s not gonna enjoy this experience. I’ll be sure to pass on your love to your brother,” Sonic(2) said, sticking out his tongue at the assembled Overlanders as he leapt out the door. Once outside, Sonic(2) revved up his feet as he looked for the bolts he was supposed to destroy. Finding one, he charged, rolling into a ball again to strike the electronic lock. No sooner was it destroyed than the hedgehog heard a familiar groan as the three remaining bolts were forced to take on the strain of the loss. As he raced towards the second target, however, he heard the familiar sound of engines giving chase.

~Outriders,~ Sonic(2) thought as he looked behind him to see the hovering bikes in question chasing him. Once more Sonic(2) found himself weaving and bobbing to avoid laserfire, but now at least he was out in the open where he could make full use of his speed. Unfortunately, every hit they made on the thruster caused it to rock unstably, making it somewhat harder for Sonic(2)’s feet to stay connected to the metal.

“Sir, we have the hedgehog in sight. He’s trying to disconnect the thruster,” one of the flying Overlanders stated.

“Don’t let him succeed. If that thing gets disconnected this whole place will come crashing down,” Colin responded over the headset.

“Understood sir.” A second groaning sound indicated that the hedgehog had taken out another bolt. More outriders appeared as Sonic(2) made his way toward the third bolt. Striking it, Sonic(2) made a U-turn, returning to the top of the massive rocket.

“Only one more to go, blue-boy, and all you have to do is defy gravity to hit it,” Sonic(2) said to himself. This was true because the fourth and final bolt was located under the thruster. Taking a few seconds to rev himself up, Sonic(2) took off at high speed, almost willing his toes to make a firm grip on the steel beneath his feet. Soon he could feel gravity’s angry pull as he began to turn upside down. Stubbornly he focused on his target, willing himself not to fall as his feet soon found themselves higher than his head. Finally he saw the target. With a grunt he aimed and forced himself to trip at high speed and tucked into a ball, using his spines to dig into the metal and hold himself to the surface. After what seemed like an eternity, the blue hedgehog felt himself pass through the final bolt. Immediately the thruster began to slide out of place with out its connection to the ship, making it that much harder for Sonic(2) to stay put. Finally, his spines’ hold gave out and he found himself tumbling through the air. 

~Just gotta make it to the ground and I can go find out how Tails is doing,~ Sonic(2) thought as he began to orient himself towards the ground. Fate, however, had other ideas as a chunk of flying debris caught up with the hedgehog, striking him in the head. The last sound he heard as he lost consciousness was that of the outriders closing in on him.

********************************

As soon as the Dark Star/Death Egg had started to tilt and sway from the loss of one of its supports, Tails had decided to beat a hasty retreat. Now he was outside the quickly collapsing space base, and things were not looking nearly as good as he’d hoped. He’d watched as Sonic(2) had been struck by the flying debris, fully intending to go in and save his new blue friend. The problem was that Colin’s soldiers had gotten to the fallen hedgehog first and Tails was not about to risk Sonic(2)’s life on a rescue when he didn’t have a plan to work with it. Revving his tails, the two tailed fox had decided discretion was the better part of valor and retreated to the relative safety of the mouth of the ravine. Now as he watched Colin taking his friend and mentor, or rather his doppelganger in this reality, inside one of the buildings that had been set up around the Dark Star’s construction site, he couldn’t help but think he should have done something, even if he didn’t have a plan to back him up.

~Maybe we should have made a bee-line back to the city for help, then Sonic wouldn’t be in danger,~ the fox thought sulkily. ~Now how am I supposed to fight off all of Kintobor’s goons and rescue him all by myself?~ 

“You know, you look like a fox that could really use a helping hand,” came a familiar voice that made Tails’s heart jump with joy. He turned around to find his very own Sonic the Hedgehog stepping out of the Great Forest, a supremely self-confident smile on his face and black paint on his quills. Behind him, looking somewhat dizzy after having been dragged at high-speed through the forest, Antoine gripped a tree for support, giving Tails a weak smile before placing his hands to his lips to prevent himself from vomiting.

“You found me,” Tails cried, latching onto Sonic(1), only to be pulled off gently by his hero. Quickly, Tails remembered that he and “Shadow” were supposed to be mere acquaintances. 

“It’s nice to see you again kiddo. Now, whaddya say we do something about whatever it is that seems to have you so upset, ‘kay?”


	10. Fall From Grace

Tails spent a good five minutes in an agitated state of high speed talking as he related to his friend and hero the events that had occurred since his departure from the castle. Sonic(1), having thankfully spent years both talking and listening to gibberish, had little trouble following what the two-tailed fox was saying.

“So Sonic got himself caught by Flat-Top in there, eh, keed?” Tails nodded in response.

“We must be mounting a rescue,” Antoine declared, once he’d finally been able to dull the queasiness in his stomach. “Monsieur Shadow, I know zhat as zhe Prince, Miles, he must be protected at all of zhe costs, but we cannot leave Soneec to be languishing away in zhat fiend’s hands.”

“Yeah I don’t imagine Kintobor will waste any time making sure we can’t find him again if we leave. So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan mate, is for me to take Prince Miles back to his father so that we can pull back to the kingdom in safety,” came an overly dry voice as Geoffrey St. John stepped out of the trees, aiming his crossbow at the trio… or rather at the member of the trio he didn’t immediately recognize. “And if you’re both very lucky, I might not even arrest you for nearly placing him in so much danger.”

“Look, we don’t have time for all this blustering you do St. John,” Sonic(1) said, in no mood to deal with the skunk’s self-important attitude. “I’ll try to make this simple by putting it in lingo you can understand; we gotta man down behind enemy lines and we need an extraction pronto.”

“I don’t care,” the skunk replied. “Sonic’s welfare is not my concern; Prince Miles’s is.” Defiance in his eyes, Tails stepped forward with as commanding a stride as he could muster.

“St. John I’m giving you a direct order to help us save Sonic from the Overlanders.” The Secret Service Commander, temporarily reassigned, let out a short guffaw.

“Unfortunately for the hedgehog, I don’t have to follow your commands. As the Commander of His Majesty’s Secret Service, only the King or a designated noble of his court has the authority to tell me what to do. And the ONLY order King Acorn has given me today is to find you and bring you to him. If Sonic was careless enough to let himself get caught when he should have been protecting you, then I can’t say I’m sorry.”

“We were trying to stop the Overlanders, they were…”

“Spare me the dramatics please. With you it’s always something, mainly because you go out looking for trouble that should best be left to those trained to handle it,” Geoffrey said. “Your father tells you, your governess tells you, and even your friends tell you. Well now I’m telling you; kindly sit down, shut up, and, for the love of the Walkers, STAY PUT! This is not your task, this is not your job, and, no matter how much you enjoy being a glory hound…” At this point the skunk stopped as he was struck in the head, not by Sonic(1) or by Tails, but by Antoine, who had managed to sneak behind the ranting Mobian. Quickly Antoine slid his sword, the handle of which he’d used as a bludgeon, back into its scabbard.

“Pompous and arrogant fuel,” Antoine commented, disdain in his voice. “Could he not see that we are wasting much of the valuable time with his prattling?”

“Oh I like this Antoine,” Sonic(1) whispered to Tails. “Any chance we can take him with us when we leave?”

“‘Shadow,’” Tails admonished, striking his hero on the shoulder. Fortunately, this exchange appeared to go unnoticed by the coyote in question.

“Okay, so now that Antoine’s taken care of Geoffrey St. Pest, I think we should take advantage of the time we have free and go save Sonic.”

************************

It was quiet; an ill omen in the minds of the three Overlander sentries patrolling the southern perimeter of their temporary launch base. Though peace and quiet would have been nice at any other time, on a day where the location they were guarding had been infiltrated by the notorious Sonic the Hedgehog and his Princely partner, and more to the point when said hedgehog was still present, peace and quiet were somewhat unnerving. Particularly since the fox brat would more than likely mount something of a nasty rescue attempt on his friend’s behalf that could easily involve several highly trained killers on his Daddy’s payroll. All in all, the lone voice that called out to them was actually more of a relief a shocker, at least at the moment.

“Hey guys, it may just be me, but I don’t think I belong here, do you?” Immediately, two of the guards pointed their laser rifles at the intruder while the third pointed a floodlight at the target to give them better aim. All were surprised to see a black hedgehog wearing only gloves and a pair of running shoes instead of a whole army. “I don’t know, if I were you, I think I’d try to arrest me or something.”

“Blow that hedge-rat away,” commanded the Overlander with the floodlight. Without even thinking, the two armed guards fired. Quicker than any of them could register, Sonic(1) moved out of the way, racing around and over towards the third Overlander and slamming into his light, breaking it in his hands as the Overlander was knocked rather forcibly to the ground before returning to his original position.

“That’s strike one. Ya got two more, and then I’m going in.” Once more the two Overlanders fired, but this time Sonic(1) charged head on, tucking himself into a ball as he leapt into a Sonic Spin at one of them. At the sight of what looked like a blue saw blade spinning for his mid section, the soldier panicked and began firing randomly. At the last second Sonic(1) untucked himself, slamming his feet into the midsection of the man, driving the air from him and driving the Overlander to the ground. Rebounding off his target, the black painted hedgehog did a back flip over to the third guard, landing on one palm as he swept his legs at high-speed into the man’s knees causing him to tumble to the ground. Quickly, the Overlander tried to right himself only to be stopped as he felt a sharp metal edge rest against his neck.

“Good evenings, mon ami,” Antoine said with a smile on his face as he held his sword to the man’s neck. In truth, the aristocratic coyote had little intention of completing the threat he was implying, but the guard did not need to know that.

“If we were looking for a friend, say a blue hedgehog, where exactly would we find him?” Tails asked in his sweetest voice.

“You furries’ll get nothing from me; Commander Kintobor doesn’t bring wimps with him,” the Overlander boldly stated.

“That’s all right, I think we can guess,” Sonic(1) said as he slammed his fist into the temple of the guard’s head, knocking him out.

“Uh, ‘Shadow…’ How exactly are we gonna guess where Sonic is?” Tails asked his friend and hero.

“We keep asking, I just didn’t want to give that guy points for stalling us till his buddies arrived. What we need to do is look for a building they could hold a prisoner in, not exactly the easiest thing to do in this canvas jungle.”

“Maybe Sonic is in a cage of somezhing. Or a drum?”

“No, no, Colin didn’t come here to take prisoners, he wouldn’t have anything like a cage,” Tails said. “And he wouldn’t want to just kill Sonic, not when he could be used to blackmail people like Uncle Chuck. The only thing around here that might stand a chance of holding someone like Sonic would be… the Dark Star!”

“Then that’s where we go.”

***********************

Meanwhile, inside the Dark Star, Sonic(2) was trying his hardest to cope with a spectacular headache. As if being struck by a piece of flying metal and then slamming into the ground weren’t punishment enough, Colin Kintobor had seen fit to “interrogate” his captive, an experience Sonic(2) would have rather lived without. Now, as he sat in the chair he’d been tied to, completely alone, all he could think about was how much his head hurt.

~Come on hedgehog, ya gotta think of a way outta here,~ Sonic(2) chastised himself. ~We can get an aspirin after we get back to the city.~ Carefully the hedgehog took stock of his situation. He’d been beaten up and gotten a black eye, been tied to a metal chair that was bolted to the ground, and was no doubt locked in a room somewhere in the only thing he knew of in the area that was made of metal. ~Of course, that’s assuming my luck isn’t running true to form and they’ve already taken me to MegaCentral.~

Idly, Sonic(2) began to wiggle in his restraints, testing them to see how much room he had. Much to his dismay, it wasn’t much. Suddenly his hand brushed against something sharp; one of his quills. A sly smile spread across his face. Without some speed, he’d never be able to cut even the flimsy metal the chair was made of in time to save himself but, with enough work, the ropes that tied his wrists would be easy to rub against his blade-like fur. Ligaments in his shoulders and arms screamed their protests as he bent himself against the back of the chair, trying to raise his wrists enough to draw the ropes back and forth across his lowest quill. Thanks to the daily limbering exercises he’d been made to do under Sir Connery’s training, the hedgehog was actually quite flexible, and soon he had the satisfying sensation of feeling the ropes snap for him. Feeling much freer now, Sonic(2) quickly began to unbind himself, though he slowed down a little when he felt his head start hurting again.

“Now all I have to do is figure a way out of here and back to my friends.” As if the door had heard him, it suddenly slid open. Immediately Sonic moved into a combat stance, ready for anything; anything except what walked through the door.

“Well this is good. I was afraid we’d have to waste time getting you loose from something,” Sonic(1) said as he entered the room, followed closely by Tails and Antoine. Sonic(2), having already been told about parallel universes from Tails’s own lips, could only stare in wonder at the hedgehog who, aside from being black, looked almost exactly like him. There were some minor differences of course, but other than that…

~I guess he really was telling the truth about being from a parallel universe… Either that or someone’s gone to a lot of trouble to look like me.~

“Sonic, you’re all right,” Tails said as he grabbed the blue hedgehog in a hug, a show of affection that was as much for Antoine’s benefit as it was completely truthful. For a few minutes, the fox kit had actually worried that this reality’s Sonic was dead. Thanks to the alien Xorda, he knew what it was like to lose a hero and a friend, and he thanked the Walkers that Sonic(1) had been returned to him. How could he face the fox he was supposed to be impersonating knowing that HIS Sonic had died on Tails’s watch?

“I am theenking that we should probably be getting going while it is still good, Oui,” Antoine interrupted.

“Yeah, you’re probably right Twan,” Sonic(1) said, turning to his counterpart and staring at the bruises on his face and chest. “You hurt or anything?”

“Not really… uh…” It was at that point that the black hedgehog realized he had not introduced himself.

“Shadow,” he said, gripping the blue hedgehog’s hand. “Shadow Vidmar; at your service. And what I mean is; can you run?”

“Okay, ‘Shadow.’ I should be able to. Wouldn’t enjoy bouncing off anything if that’s what you wanna know.”

“No prob, just leave the baddies to me.” So saying, Sonic(1) hefted Antoine, the heavier of the two “slower” Mobians, onto his back. “Think you can carry Ta… Prince Miles?”

“Like I said,” Sonic(2) replied, helping the fox cub up onto his back. “I’m good as long as I don’t have to do the whole pinball thing.” With that, the two hedgehogs sped out the door and away. Unfortunately, they didn’t get far before they were stopped by a squad of ten Overlanders, led by none other than Colin Kintobor himself.

“Well, I must say I am impressed your ‘Highness.’ You’ve managed to sneak into my base not once, but twice in the same day. I do feel I should point out, however, that your ability to leave equally undetected leaves much to be desired.” All four of the Mobians moved into defensive stances. “Oh please, at these close quarters, there’s no way my soldiers couldn’t overpower all of you, particularly with the squire there in sub-par condition. I would heartily suggest you surrender. If you’re fortunate, we’ll make giving you back to your father a token concession on our part when he surrenders to the might of MegaCentral’s new battle station.” Sonic(1) began to snicker at this.

“You know, Colin, you’re right, Sonic’s not really in any condition to deal with you and your little toy soldiers,” he said in his snidest voice. “But if you want, I’m more than willing to play with you.”

“What?”

“Hey Princey?”

“Yes ‘Shadow,’” Tails responded, though he grated somewhat at being referred to as “Princey.”

“You know any other ways outta this overgrown ping-pong ball?”

“Yeah, I think I do.”

“Good. Get Sonic and Antoine out while I make sure these goofballs don’t bother us anymore.” Needing no further encouragement, Tails grabbed both of his friends’ hands and took off back down the hallway.

“That was stupid,” Kintobor commented. “At least with the Prince here, my men had incentive to be careful as to where they aimed their guns. He’s actually worth catching alive. You on the other hand, are about to have more holes in you than cheese.”

“Speaking of cheesy…”

“Enough! Ready, Aim, FIRE!” At the Commander’s command, all ten Overlander soldiers aimed their guns at the black hedgehog and fired.

*******************

As he ran, Tails heard the sound of gunfire and threw a worried look over his shoulder. He wished Sonic(1) hadn’t told him to leave and get the others out, but there really weren’t any other options. So long as they were there, the possibility remained that something would happen to them, and that something would inevitably distract Sonic(1) long enough for him to get hurt. Still, he hoped the now black hedgehog was not overestimating his own abilities.

“My Prince, we must be making for the escape hatches,” Antoine said, noticing how Tails had slowed down in his thoughts.

“Right, we have to go.”

“Don’t worry kid, I’m sure Shadow can handle himself.”

“I hope so, Sonic, I hope so.”

*******************

Meanwhile, as the dust kicked up by the lasers striking the ground began to clear, Commander Kintobor smiled to himself. What that black hedgehog had intended to do still remained a mystery to him, but as the spiky pest was now most likely dead, Colin simply didn’t care. Quickly he raised his communicator to his lips. 

“Control, I have neutralized one of the intruders, but be advised there are still three…”

“You know what your problem is, Colly?” a voice asked as the dust finally settled, revealing a familiar spiky figure standing before him. “You give yourself WAAAAY too much credit for things you didn’t do.”

“What? How? It’s not possible for you to still be standing there.”

“Oh if you think that was impossible,” Sonic(1) stated as his body began to flicker “this is really gonna blow your mind.” Suddenly, the hedgehog was gone, moving too fast for the Overlanders to keep track of despite the close quarters. One of the soldiers let out a pained grunt as a glove covered fist slammed into his nose, breaking it. In the split second he was visible, the other Overlanders pointed their rifles at Sonic(1), only to watch in dismay as he again disappeared, this time sweeping the legs of another Overlander before moving on.

“You idiots! Don’t just stand there! Shoot him, SHOOT HIM!!” Commander Kintobor yelled.

“Yeah, shoot me, shoot me,” Sonic(1) mocked as he landed on Colin’s shoulders while the soldiers took aim.

“No! Wait! Don’t shoot!”

“Wimp.” Was all the comment Sonic(1) made as he catapulted himself forward, bringing the heel of his foot down hard on another Overlander. Again and again Sonic(1) moved, attacking the soldiers and moving too fast for them to get a proper target on him. Soon, the only one left was Kintobor, upon whom Sonic(1) leapt, grabbing his collar and planting his feet firmly onto the Overlander’s chest, forcing the Commander down to his back.

“Who are you?” the militaristic Overlander demanded. 

“You could call me a friend of the Royal Family,” the hedgehog said cryptically. “And I’m only gonna say this once, Kintobor, don’t you ever try this again. Now that we know what you creeps in MegaCentral were planning to do, you’ll be lucky if Acorn doesn’t send his whole army there and level your city.”

“You wouldn’t dare. We’d crush you.”

“Yeah, you’d be surprised what we can do, Colly, particularly when we’re mad. I’d suggest you clear outta here and send ol’ Miles a reeeeeal nice Ascension gift to show you wanna make nice for his big day, and maybe the King’ll be in such a good mood, he won’t wanna hang your head in his throne room.”

“And if I refuse?” As he said this, Commander Kintobor unholstered his sidearm, bringing it up to blast the hedgehog. Before it could even be aimed, Sonic(1)’s foot struck the Overlander’s wrist, sending the gun flying back down the hall.

“Trust me, you don’t really wanna refuse,” Sonic(1) said snidely. Suddenly, the black painted hedgehog stamped his foot down hard, striking Kintobor in the head. “Go ahead, take a nap, think about my suggestion.” With that, Sonic(1) took off to meet up with his friends.

***************************

Tails looked somewhat worriedly at the Overlander encampment, waiting for his Sonic to suddenly speed up the walls of the fissure.

“Prince Miles, you must be staying away from the edge of the Forest Scar, please,” Antoine reprimanded the younger Mobian as he stood over near the downed Commander St. John, trying to use the skunk’s communicator to summon help. “It would not do for zhe Overlanders to capture you after we have been coming so far.”

“I’m worried about ‘Shadow,’” Tails explained. “I don’t like the idea of him being in there alone with all the Overlanders.”

“Don’t worry ‘Miles,’ I’m sure he’s all right,” Sonic(2) said, his tone varying between placating and jealousy. He’d never thought he’d ever hear such concern from his friend for anyone other than himself, and it didn’t help that he knew the fox standing before him was not his Miles. Internally, the hedgehog wondered if that made him shallow.

~Am I so caught up in having his hero worship that I can’t even bare the thought of another version of him looking up to another version of me?~ Before that train of thought could be taken to its final destination, a loud sonic boom was heard as a round, black blur shot up into the air, the ball making it unfolding into a hedgehog form that began to orient itself for a landing as Sonic(1) made his appearance in a fashion that impressed even his counterpart. 

“What’s everyone looking down there for?” the hedgehog asked. “The show’s up here.”

“So… Shadow, you made it,” Tails said, offering his best friend a high five.

“You two… know each other?” Antoine asked, curious as to when the Prince would have met someone like Shadow. 

“Uh, yeah. He helped me when I was… was… in Echidnopolis. He was living there. I’m just surprised to find him down here.”

“Well, I… I moved,” Sonic(1) said. “Yeah, I moved down here. Not enough room to run on the island, so I came down here don’t you know.”

“Really? That your parents would be moving for such a trifling reason, it seems so… so unlikely.” At the coyote’s words, both hedgehogs looked aghast.

“Running is never trivial,” both said in a shocked voice, causing Antoine to backpedal away from them. Suddenly remembering his manners, Sonic(1) turned to Sonic(2) and extended his hand.

“Like I said before, the name’s ‘Shadow.’ It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Sonic’s the name, fast is my game. But I get the feeling you already knew that,” Sonic(2) said, taking the hand. “And I also get the feeling I should feel honored to meet such an impressive hedgehog.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t call myself impressive… Cool beyond belief probably… handsome beyond compare most definitely… A legend in my…”

“If you two humble hedgehogs are done,” Tails said as he walked past them towards the forest. “I think we should get going. Unless you two want to give each other auto… ACK!!” Tails never got to finish his quip as a large hand suddenly grabbed the fox kit by the throat.

“Didn’t think you were done with me yet, did you freak?” Kodos asked as he stepped forth from the cover of the trees. Immediately the Mobians who were awake got into attack position, the two Sonics edging their way around so they could be on either side of the villain. “Uh-uh, I don’t think so. Both you pincushions get back next to the skunk, or I make myself a fur belt outta this brat’s pelt.”

“Don’t you dare bandit…” Sonic(2) began.

“Don’t patronize me, Sonic. Not even you ‘re fast enough to stop me from snapping his neck if you try anything funny.” To emphasize his point, the lion placed a large thumb onto the side of Tails’s neck. “You, the coyote...”

“My… my name is Antoine,” Antoine said defiantly.

“I don’t care. Get the rope out of the skunk’s backpack and use it to tie up both of these hedgehogs.”

“Both, monsieur? Is that not going just a bit over the ship while it is at sea?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. My gut tells me this black hedgehog is as big a pain as the blue one. Now do what I say if you don’t want this brat to start screaming.”

“If you do not remove your hands from my son this instant, bandit, you shall be the one screaming,” King Acorn said as he stepped out of the treeline, his sword drawn and an expression of fury on his face. 

“Don’t tell me you think you can stop me, Max.”

“Unhand the Prince villain. You’ll gain nothing by holding onto him,” Connery said as he appeared on the other side of the lion, his weapon also drawn for battle. Kodos looked from the squirrel to the horse, and then back to Tails who was still struggling to breathe in his grip. A thought crossed his mind, an evil malicious thought that caused a cruel grin to appear on his face as he considered the hostage he held.

“You’re right Connery, I gain nothing by holding onto this little brat.” Suddenly, Kodos turned to face the horse knight as he hurled Tails full force at him. “You take him!”

Moving quickly, Sir Connery moved to protect his “Prince,” trying to soften the impact as the fox cub slammed into the knight’s breastplate hard and fell unconscious. Momentarily distracted by concern for his “son’s” safety, King Max didn’t notice as Kodos charged him, the giant war-axe that was his signature weapon swinging above his head. Just in the nick of time, King Acorn lifted the Sword of Acorns over his head to deflect the axe’s strike. Quickly the squirrel moved out of the way as Kodos attacked with his fist too.

“You move a lot like the kid Max. Hopefully you’ll provide more sport.”

“I am no one’s sport, bandit, especially not yours,” Maximillian said as he swung around with his sword, forcing Kodos to duck or be cut by the King’s blade. “You will find I am far more dangerous than children.” Knowing now that “Miles” was safe in Connery’s custody, King Acorn turned his full attention to his opponent and began to turn the tide on the larger Mobian. Though Kodos’s axe would have had easy pickings of any other sword, the mystical Sword of Acorns proved to be far more difficult to break.

Again and again Kodos grunted and grimaced as the King attacked him, landing kicks and punches while successfully deflecting the lion’s own attacks. As Kodos reared up to trying to strike his opponent, he found his axe suddenly stopped before he could pull it forward. He turned his head just in time for his chin to meet Sir Connery’s fist. Having deposited Tails with his friends, the horse knight had come to the aid of his King, and that was not the least of the bandit lord’s problems. In the distance, the sound of more guards could be heard making their way towards their sovereign’s position. This was quite obviously a lost fight.

“You may think you’ve got me, Max, but I know a secret you and horse-face would kill to know,” Kodos said, a nasty smirk on his face as he edged away from the forest. 

“Nothing you say is of interest to me villain,” Maximillian countered.

“Don’t be so sure, Maxy. You wouldn’t believe the things we outlaws hear, particularly when it comes to you royals. I’m sure the two tailed freak would agree if…”

“You will be silent,” Maximillian commanded, his sword aimed at the lion’s chest. “I will not allow you to insult my son so freely.”

“Who ever said I was insulting your s… AH!” Sonic(1), sensing where this was going, had chosen that moment to spindash into the lion’s back. The bandit proved too solidly built for Sonic(1)’s attack to do much damage, but, in combination with Sonic(2)’s own attack on Kodos’s knees, it proved enough to send him to the ground. Kodos looked up from the ground to find the Sword of Acorns pointed at his face.

“Surrender! NOW!!” Kodos’s formerly smiling face twisted into a scowl as he used one of his arms to swipe the King’s feet out from under him. Unable to continue battle, Kodos pushed himself up by his hands and, placing his axe back in its harness, made the decision that discretion was the better part of valor. He did not make it more than a few feet, however, before he was hit by Sir Connery’s shoulder. Though Kodos was a big Mobian, Connery was just as massive and far more knowledgeable in how to use his bulk. The bandit lord was sent flying several feet to the edge of the ravine.

“The King ordered you to give up.”

“And what incentive do I have to do that, Connery?” Kodos asked as he got back to his feet for a third time. “Have you forgotten that back in your precious kingdom, I’m a dead man?”

“Only a coward fears death, Kodos. Your fate is the consequence of the choices you made. For once make the honorable choice in your life and surrender.” At the knight’s words, Kodos’s shoulders slumped as he bowed his head.

“Yes, I… I see your point, Sir Connery,” he said in a defeated tone of voice. Suddenly, however, Kodos charged at the horse, his claws bared. “How about if I simply kill you first though!” If Kodos’s defeated appearance had fooled anyone, it was solely himself, as Connery swung a mighty fist to connect directly with the lion’s jaw. This, combined with the abuse Kodos had taken from Tails, the Sonics, and King Acorn, proved enough to send the rogue staggering backwards, back to the edge of the Forest Scar.

“Kodos, watch out!” Connery called, unwilling to have the former bandit lord’s life on his hands. Whether the lion had heard the warning or not proved a moot point as Kodos lost his footing, falling from the edge of the ravine. Connery edged over to the crevice to find his enemy hanging by a single hand.

“Connery! Help me, please,” the bandit lord begged as hot wind whipped through his mane.

“Give me your hand,” the horse commanded, extending his own to the bandit. Quickly, Kodos grabbed hold of the proffered limb.

“Thank you, thank you,” Kodos began, then his face suddenly twisted in an evil sneer as he hissed. “How very noble of you!” With a roar, Kodos yanked with all his might on the helping hand, fully intending to throw the knight over the edge and to his death. But Connery was nobody’s fool, and had anticipated Kodos’s cowardly action. Cooly the Mobian noble slid his fingers from Kodos’s grip. Without Connery’s added weight, the force of Kodos’s throw was enough to wrench free the hand he was using to grip the side of the ravine. Connery watched dispassionately as Kodos tumbled through the air, falling all the way to the bottom of Forest Scar.

“So ends a life misspent,” was all Connery said as he watched the lion’s death.


	11. Back "Home"

~My head hurts,~ Tails thought as he awoke. His hand went up to his head, and he felt a bandage wrapped around it, a clear sign that he’d been hurt. ~Obviously Sir Connery is not the most ideal surface upon which to break one’s fall.~ The kit giggled to himself as the absurdity of the comment set in. He was back in his room, or rather Prince Miles’s room, not that he was complaining. The bed was incredibly soft and comfortable, and the pillow felt good on his head. As he looked around, the kit’s eyes fell upon a black, pointy figure lightly dozing at the desk.

“Sonic?” Tails wondered, causing the hedgehog in question to stir. 

“Tails!” Sonic(1) exclaimed before catching himself and continuing in a softer voice. “You’re awake.”

“How long was I out?”

“Only a day or so, kid, nothing too serious. Quack was actually more concerned that the other Sonic may have had some bones broken when Colin worked him over,” Sonic replied. “Oh yeah, and I got a message from Nilrem. He’s says this universe is becoming stable again. Apparently ‘Dark Star’ was the thing threatening this reality. When we took it out well, aside from the original problem, this place became safe.”

“And the Prince? Has he had any luck finding Prince Miles?”

“They’re narrowing the search kid, but they haven’t found him. And now we have a new problem.”

“Garivald?”

“He’s the one who set you up with Kodos, and since he failed, I’m sure the badger’s gonna start gettin’ desperate. I don’t have to tell you how dangerous desperate Mobians can get.”

“So, what’s the plan, how do we nail this scumbag?” Tails asked as he tried to sit up in “his” bed, only to find himself being pushed back down by Sonic(1).

“WE don’t. You got too much on your plate to be worrying about foiling a coup d’état attempt.”

“So what, you get to do all the fun stuff while I get to study with Julayla?”

“Nah…” the hedgehog answered. “You also gotta start doing the meet and greet with the Prince’s guests. The ones coming from the farthest reaches of the Kingdom will start arriving today. This reality’s Sonic says you’ll have to spend a little bit of time with ‘em. You know, schmooze ‘em, get them thinkin’ on how great a king you’d make, that kinda stuff.”

“Wait, you talked to the other Sonic?”

“Yeah, his mom’s just as big a mother as mine is, doesn’t mind taking in strays with nowhere else to stay. While I was waiting for you to wake up last night, we talked.”

“Wait, this isn’t gonna end up as some sort of challenge you two set up to see who’s the fastest, did it?”

“Meh, it wouldn’t feel right beatin’ him in his own reality. Anyway, he told me all about what you’re gonna be expected to do, and it sounds like a full plate, so you let me worry about the Royal Fink, okay?” Sonic(1) asked and commanded at the same time as he walked over to the window balcony. Suddenly he stopped, turning his head back to his young friend. “I hate to say this; but if you get stumped or flustered, take your lead from Antoine. He’s the only other member of this little trio that seems able to be near the bluebloods without being considered an insult, and he wants you to be king too. He shouldn’t steer you wrong.” With that, Sonic(1) revved up his feet and leapt off the balcony and down the wall.

For a few brief moments, Tails wondered if it was wise for his friend to do something that could easily pin him for an assassin, but rationalized that as Sonic(2) was the only one on this world that was known to have super-speed, and he was the Prince’s best friend, people would most likely mistake the two for each other and assume Sonic(2) had come to reassure himself of Miles’s safety. Quickly getting up, and sitting down again just as quickly as his head began to swim, Tails moved towards the door to the bedroom and opened it. Outside, two guards, a mallard and a rat, were rolling a pair of dice to pass the time. As soon as Tails opened the door, the dice game stopped as the pair stood at attention before him.

“Prince Miles! You’re awake,” the mallard said, oblivious to the fact that he was stating the obvious. “Do you require anything?” Tails, not really expecting to find two guards camped outside his door, was somewhat flustered as to what to say.

“Uh… potty break?” he said sheepishly. As he started to walk down the hallway to his private washroom, the two tailed kit noticed the duo were following him.

~If they think they’re coming in with me, they’re in for a surprise,~ the Freedom Fighter thought. Much to his relief, the two guards instead took up positions on either side of the bathroom door and remained outside while Tails went in. Once inside, the kit was at a loss as to what to do. He hadn’t really needed to go, but he’d been unable to think of anything else to say to the two adults. Walking over to the sink, he made his decision, turning on the faucet as he looked at himself in the mirror. His fur was a mess, a mess that seemed even more prominent when he removed the bandage on his head to examine the small lump underneath. One of the first things his training as a Freedom Fighter had encompassed was first aid and, though he knew Dr. Quack most likely had given a better prognosis, it didn’t seem as though he’d been permanently hurt. Cupping his hands under the now warm water, the fox splashed some on his face, trying to wash the crust from his eyes. When he looked up at the mirror again, however, he was quite surprise to see a familiar face staring back at him.

“Hello,” Nilrem said with a smile.

“Bah!!” Tails exclaimed as he jumped back and landed on his haunches on the tile floor. Immediately he looked to the door, fully expecting his bodyguards to come crashing in to determine what had caused their charge to yelp and having no way to explain the second fox in the bathroom.

“Don’t worry, I’ve put a sound dampener around this room, no one can hear us,” Nilrem said as he helped young Prower to his feet. “I didn’t feel the need to bring more people into our little game.”

“Look if this is about me telling this reality’s Sonic…” Nilrem waved him off.

“No, he should prove useful. And it’s a lot easier having him with us than stumbling over him as he tries to uncover whatever ‘dastardly’ plot he thinks we’re a part of. I wanted to congratulate you on your fine performance concerning the Dark Star. Antoine has been doing nothing but talking up how brave and commanding you were during the whole escapade, and Robotnik has made it very public knowledge just how close to annihilation everyone came with the Overlanders’ new weapon. You still don’t have the full support of the nobles but, baring something catastrophic happening, you definitely have enough support to make ‘your’ claim to the throne official.”

“Oh that’s peachy,” Tails said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now if you could only find the REAL Prince Miles, we’d be set.”

“We’re working on it, we’re working on it. But I also wanted to help since you’ve lost so much time you needed to learn all the things you need to do for your ceremony.” With that, Nilrem reached down and grabbed Tails’s left ear.

“Ouch!” Tails yipped as something sharp was pressed into his ear. “What was that?”

“A remote I/O nodule to N.I.K.O.L.E. It will allow her to prompt you when you get into trouble.”

“Uh, people already think I’m weird enough as it is. Won’t looking like I’m asking thin air questions make that worse?”

“Not to worry. N.I.K.O.L.E. will be monitoring everything from the conversations to your heart rate. If she detects you’re stumped, she’ll start whispering in your ear.” With that, Nilrem began fiddling with his watch. Behind him, a circular portal opened up in the air. “Okay, I have to go. Like your Sonic said, good luck with your mission and follow Antoine’s lead if you can. I’d prefer it if N.I.K.O.L.E. didn’t have to tutor you too much. The more she has to do, the less processing power she has available to hunt down the Prince.” Nilrem stepped into the portal and vanished.

“People sure do come and go around this world,” Tails stated to himself, which resulted in a knock emanating from the door.

“Prince, are you all right?” one of the guards asked in a concerned voice.

“I’m fine,” Tails quickly answered as he finished washing off his face.

************************************

“Sir, I must talk to you,” Geofferey St. John said as he walked up behind Sir Connery, his temporary commander.

“Yes St. John?” the horse knight asked stopping and turning to his new subordinate. In the Mobian’s hands was a clipboard with several sheets of paper on which several forms were written. Sir Connery’s eyes looked red from all the reading he’d had to do to get caught up on all the precautions the Secret Service had taken to tighten security for the palace for Prince Miles. Say what you wanted to about the skunk’s less than congenial personality, but Geofferey was most thorough and very good at his job, even if his skill did often lead to arrogance. Sir Connery was having trouble finding any way HE could improve of St. John’s work, a job that was making the Knight of Acorn somewhat curious as to just how there had been not one, but two breaks in security.

“Sir, I wanted to ask why I am not being sent off with the team being put together to help Minister Robotnik investigate the wreckage of the Overlander’s Dark Star weapon,” Geofferey said, a statement that made his temporary superior quiver somewhat. He’d been dreading this question ever since he’d made it known who would accompany the Minister of War. The former Kintobor had been less than thrilled to sap any of the strength from the castle, but Connery was not about to give Colin a clear shot at his hated little brother while Robotnik only had a few scientists and technicians to protect him. Robotnik had accepted, however, unwilling to give his people the time they needed to strip the site bare of any particularly nasty surprises Acorn needed to know about.

“I need you here, St. John. You’re the one who organized the security for the Ascension, if I have questions I would rather you be here where I could talk to you rather than somewhere I can’t.”

“With all due respect sir, that seems to be a waste of my talents. I feel I would be much more useful collecting Intel on the enemy than on… babysitting,” Geofferey countered, causing Connery to heave a sigh. It was one thing to be proud of your abilities, it was quite another to let it blind you to what needed to be done. Unfortunately, Geofferey was every bit as much the glory hound as Sonic(2) had claimed he’d accused Prince Miles of being. 

“I would not think of it as ‘babysitting,’ young man,” the skunk bristled at being called this, “I would think of it more as making sure that there is someone here to use that information instead.”

“You may be content to be the bodyguard, but I didn’t spend a lifetime honing my skills just to keep a little fluff-ball from getting his own fool head cut off.” With that, St. John turned to leave, only to be stopped as a large fist connected to a larger arm suddenly slammed into the wall next to him and blocked his way. For the briefest of moments, St. John’s mask of indifference broke and he wore a face of fright as he looked at Sir Connery, the horse knight’s smoldering anger evident in his body. Angered eyes looked down at the skunk, brutally reminding Geofferey of just how severely out matched he would be if his temporary commander should lose his temper with him.

“You do not know how fortunate you are that it is me that you speak these words to, St. John. There are any number of commanders and military personal who would see such disrespect for both your King and your commander as grounds for a dishonorable dismissal from service.”

“I mean no disrespect to you, and certainly none to King Acorn…” Geofferey started.

“No, I understand that your resentment is what drives you in this. You feel your talents are wasted, you’re underappreciated… Well get over it,” Connery said quite bluntly. “You’re right, you are a talented individual, one of the best His Majesty’s Secret Service has been blessed with for a long time. Despite that, you are also the most arrogant and aggravating creature I have ever had to work with. Get this through your head, YOU chose to serve, you were never forced. You pledged your loyalty and obedience to the crown more so than many other citizens of the Kingdom. YOU accepted the position as the commander of the Secret Service, which necessitates you having to delegate assignments you would rather do yourself. You are responsible to the Crown and that includes to Prince Miles, who will be the next King. There have already been two attempts on his life, Geofferey, so I don’t think it is overly cautious to be concerned, do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes sir,” St. John said, hoping that agreement would quell the knight’s wrath. 

“Now then,” the horse visibly calmed down. “I’m willing to let this matter drop now, so long as your feelings do not interfere with your duties.”

“Yes Sir,” the skunk said, somewhat defeated. “If I may ask, if I’m not going on the reconnaissance mission with Robotnik, what is it you want me to do?

“I need you for an investigation…”

*********************************

“So how is he?” Sonic(2) asked as his primary counterpart entered his room. The still blue hedgehog’s torso was wrapped in bandages to protect his bruised ribs, while one of his eyes had a rapidly fading black ring around it.

“Tails is fine. He actually looks a lot better than you do,” Sonic(1) said with a smile. “And he’s still holding up with his impersonation of the Prince.”

“Good. I hate to think what King Max ‘ll do if he discovers this ruse.”

“Did you just use the word ‘ruse’ in a sentence?” Sonic(2) nodded his head. “Man, we are different.”

“Did you see anything out of place at the castle?”

“Nothing that I could see. Connery’s got the whole place pretty much on lockdown. Tails has two guards on him round the clock; the gates are being kept closed; anyone who travels between the wings of the castle gets checked out. The whole place looks ready to repel an invasion if necessary. And that is absolutely no help at all with Garivald and Uma still inside and above suspicion.”

“Right. We need a way to expose that nut job for the traitor he is, but he’s too careful. I doubt there’s any trace that he’s the one who set the stealth ship after us.”

“Yeah, but circumstances have changed. Pretty soon Tails, uh, Prince Miles, is gonna get crowned Crown Prince. That means Garivald’s gotta be gettin’ pretty desperate,” Sonic(1) said. “Maybe we can use that…”

“Huh?”

“What happens if he can’t get rid of Miles before he becomes Crown Prince? I mean, he seems pretty bent on doing that, but from where I sit, wouldn’t he be just as eligible to rule if Miles dies after the fact too?”

“No,” Sonic(2) answered. “If Miles is successfully named Crown Prince, then he’s the continuation for the House of Acorn. If he dies after the fact than that ends the dynasty. Without an heir, the Source of All chooses the next King from the nobles through the crown, and Garivald may be a Lord as Royal Advisor, but he’s not from noble blood. He’s only king if Max was never able to name an heir.” Sonic(1) looked at his counterpart with a somewhat confused look on his face.

“That seems unnecessarily convoluted.”

“To be fair, this situation is fairly unique, at least to my world, and truthfully, Miles will use his new royal powers to force Garivald into the open. A prince may not be able to challenge Garivald’s claims of innocence, but the next King has every right to make sure his staff is loyal.”

“Okay, so Garivald can’t let Miles survive to ascend… He’s gonna be workin’ hard to come up with a plan to off the kid before the end of the week.” Sonic(1) paced back and forth across the room before an idea came to him, causing him to snap his fingers. “I got it, we set a trap.”

“Uh, Miles and I tried that once or twice. Not exactly the easiest thing in the world to pull off. Particularly if he turns it on you by saving you.” This last part Sonic(2) said under his breath.

“Yeah, but now you have something he’s never had to deal with before…”

“And that is?”

“Me.”


	12. Arrivals

Tails was beginning to wonder if Prince Miles really was missing, or if his AWOL counterpart had merely seen his opportunity to escape some of the less enjoyable aspects of being a prince. The two-tailed fox stood next to his “father,” King Maximillian, wearing his royal jacket as they prepared to greet yet another guest visiting for Prince Miles’s Ascension Ceremony. So far the pair had greeted twelve visiting craft over the course of two days, and the meetings had ranged between cool to downright frigid in temperament. Tails had been told that there were those on this world who harbored a great dislike for what they considered an unworthy successor to the crown, but until he’d actually experienced it he hadn’t thought too much of it.

*Odd. Is this really how guarded the noblemen were over their positions before Robotnik took over on my world? It seems kinda stupid to be so worried about something as insignificant as a pedigree when choosing a leader,* Tails thought to himself. Of course in his own reality, the Mobians had gone right back to the Kingship of the Acorns the moment the opportunity had presented itself, so maybe there was more to family history then Tails could see. 

The fox’s attention was snatched back to reality as a fantastic looking transport made its landing on the castle’s landing pad. Guards of all sorts watched carefully as the ship landed, prepared just in case of deception. A slow smile crept across the young “Prince’s” face as he realized he recognized this craft as belonging to Echidnopolis.

“Knuckles,” he whispered silently, glad to finally have a friend coming to visit. He felt a light squeeze on his shoulder and looked up to see the King staring down at him, mouthing the words “Honored Guardian” silently. Immediately Tails understood the message. Now was not the time to let his act slip.

From the ship three echidnas emerged; two taking positions on either side of the door while the third, the obvious pilot of the craft stood off to the side. The two guards cast somewhat hostile looks around the hanger at the many royal guards keeping watch, clearly none too thrilled that security had to be so intense. It was the fourth echidna that emerged, shorter than the rest, that got everyone’s attention. Knuckles loudly slammed his fists together, an echidna signal of greeting to non-echidna; an action that was mimicked by the other three echidnas.

“Guardian Knuckles, it is an honor to have you as a guest,” King Acorn said with a slight nod. “I regret that your honored father was unable to come with you.”

“Times are too chaotic on Angel Island for me not to retain a presence there. So long as Locke is present, so am I in a sense,” Knuckles explained to the King, and then he cast a glance at the little fox standing at his side. “It is good to see you again, Prince Prower-Acorn. I understand there was some trouble you managed to quell a few days ago. I look forward to hearing about it when you have time later,” the echidna leader said in a very neutral voice that bordered on chilly. Then Knuckles, the pilot, and one of the guards walked past the King and Prince without another word, leaving the final member of their party to supervise their vehicle’s storage. For any other Mobian species, this might have been considered an act of unparalleled rudeness; for the echidna species, who did not waste time on frivolous things like subtleness and tact, it was actually a sign of respect. The King’s time was important and Knuckles had no intention of wasting it. As the red Mobian passed Tails however, he tilted his head sideways ever so slightly and whispered, “Valnin came here with us kid, so you might wanna look out.”

Tails turned around as Knuckles passed, curious as to what his warning was supposed to mean, when he suddenly received his answer. Two thick, black-furred arms suddenly wrapped themselves around the young fox’s body and he yelped in surprise as he was lifted off the ground.

“PRINCE MILES!! It does my heart good to see you looking so well,” a booming voice said as the arms turned Tails around to face the single largest panda, the single largest Mobian, the single largest CREATURE, he had ever seen in his life. Massive wasn’t even an adequate word to describe the guest that held him, a huge friendly grin on his face as he gave the young “Prince” a bone jarring hug and kiss to the forehead. 

“Viscount Valnin,” King Max said in a voice that was friendlier than Tails had ever heard the King’s voice be. “I’m sure my son appreciates the gesture, but I am also sure he would appreciate the opportunity to breathe.” His smile never wavering for an instant, Valnin responded.

“Yes, yes, I apologize my future King,” Valnin said as he gently placed the kit back on the ground and at the foot of the impeccably kept ruby colored robe he was wearing. Tails’s neck hurt somewhat as he tried to look up at the VERY tall Mobian, even as N.I.K.O.L.E. began to fill him in on just who the panda was. “I’m afraid I do tend to let my emotions get the better of me.”

“Uh, that’s… all right ‘Uncle’ Valnin,” Tails said as he looked up at his rather odd guest. Suddenly the panda grabbed King Max’s outstretched hand, pulling him into what Tails would have considered a fairly rough hug. 

“But do not think I am not equally happy to see you my old friend,” Valnin said as he slapped the King on the back. Apparently the Viscount’s behavior was not unknown to the castle staff as no guards came forward to stop the panda. “Angel Island is a paradise floating in the heavens, but one cannot discount the simple pleasures of one’s true home.”

“I believe you make yourself at home anyplace you plant your feet Valnin,” Max said, eliciting a deep laugh from the panda.

“Too true, Your Majesty, too true.”

“Miles, I believe we are done here for the day. You may go join Lady Julayla in the classroom for more rehearsal.”

“I’ve been rehearsing every day since I woke up…”

“And you will continue practicing and rehearsing your lines until the ceremony is complete,” King Acorn said in a voice that was final. Next to him Valnin smiled.

“It’s best to do as your father instructs, my Prince. After all, this is not the time one would wish to find oneself stumbling over words.”

“All right, all right I get it.” With that Tails left the hanger and the two adults who eagerly began to converse. The young fox kit had figured out the layout of the castle and was now able to navigate his way through it without any real significant problems, a fact that made him a little more comfortable in the unfamiliar role he was playing. Soon he found himself crossing one of the many open air corridors that existed in the palace. The walkways provided nice views of the palace grounds and, at higher altitudes, a spectacular view of Mobotropolis in general.

*The “Forbidden City,”* Tails mused as he stopped to stare out at the city he could just see over the castle walls. How often had his counterpart stood here, or somewhere similar, and thought about what it would be like to freely walk the streets of the city? Had he felt trapped within the safety of the walls of his own palace? As trapped as Tails currently felt?

His Sonic, from his own universe, had been somewhat ignoring him for the past few days, concentrating more on ferreting out whatever plan Garivald was coming up with. Oh Tails had seen Shadow around, inconspicuously moping floors and washing statues in a fairly obvious attempt to keep an eye on his foxy friend. And he had found one or two sticky notes left for him containing messages, wishes for wellness, kind words of support. But when it came to having an actual face to face with his blue-turned-black buddy, Sonic(1) was nowhere to be seen. And since Prince Miles had been unable to cultivate many friends his own age, that had left Tails with only those children who were legitimately part of the Royal Court to talk to, of which only Antoine D’Coolette seemed even remotely tolerable. Which meant Tails was very much alone… And very bored.

Since he’d awoken after Kodos’s attack, he’d either been greeting guests or preparing himself for the Rite of Ascension, neither of which really appealed to him. He’d hoped that at least someone would drop by to keep him company, but so far he’d had more contact with his two “bodyguards” than with his friends. 

His eyes moving from the horizon, the two-tailed fox cast a glance at what was below him, and received a mild surprise. In the yard beneath him several knights-in-training were busy with evening practice, testing their combat skills against one another in the glow of the setting sun. What drew young Tails’s eyes, however, was the spiny blue Mobian taking on three opponents at once.

*No matter what world he’s from I guess Sonic’s still Sonic,* Tails thought with a smile as he watched his hero’s counterpart. Sonic(2) also seemed to be avoiding Tails, but how much of that was intentional Tails really couldn’t say. On the one hand, this Sonic was friends with Prince Miles Elias Prower-Acorn, so it was understandable that, having learned that his friend was still missing, he was a little uncomfortable around Tails. On the other paw, Tails hadn’t really been acting too different from his normal self and Sonic(2) had had no problem hanging out with him. 

*Then again, how did I feel when Scourge took my Sonic’s place for a whole month.* Tails shook his head. This was different. Scourge was psychotic; Tails was simply trying to keep this world from falling apart. And who said Sonic(2) had to be the one to come to him… Hadn’t Prince Miles’s journal said he’d originally been the one to start up their friendship. Quickly Tails made his way down the hallway. Afterall, King Acorn may have told him to go to Julayla’s rooms, but he never specified a time.

******************

Sonic(2) ducked as the wooden sword “sliced” the air above his head. The cat he was currently dueling with only just barely managed to get his shield in place before the hedgehog slammed into him, thus sparing himself the less friendly side of Sonic(2)’s spindash.

In a blur of motion the young squire side-stepped a “mace” wielded by a young boar, twirling around to slam the flat of his own wooden blade into the teen’s arm, forcing the tusked Mobian to drop his weapon with a pained grunt.

“Come on guys, you gotta do better than that,” Sonic(2) said in a snide voice. The hedgehog’s request was accepted as a sharp pain flared up in his hip. Ignoring the pain, Sonic(2) leapt away from the deer that had attacked him. Now all three of his opponents were standing and advancing on him. Sonic(2) smiled. This was exactly what he needed to get his mind off of things. The truth was the blue hedgehog had been somewhat worried for the past few days, ever since he’d found out that the fox he’d thought was his friend was really an imposter, albeit a friendly one. From what Sonic(2) had managed to learn from “Shadow,” the Prince’s whereabouts were currently unknown, which meant anything could be happening to the poor kid, and Sonic(2) wouldn’t be there to help him. And that thought alone was causing the young squire to suffer panic attacks.

While his cobalt-blue opponent seemed lost in his own little world, the deer decided to start the assault, charging at Sonic(2) with his sword held low to slash at the hedgehog’s midsection. Only a step or two behind him, the boar followed with his mace swinging over his head. With a quick kick, Sonic(2) was airborne, utilizing the deer’s head to get even higher in the air and hopefully clear of the boar he did not want to have to face hand to hand.. The cat seemed to have the same idea as he leapt from the boar’s shoulders (narrowly avoiding the swirling mace) to meet Sonic(2)’s leap. Their swords met as they both tried to twist their bodies and gain an advantage over the other. Sonic(2) won out, utilizing the cat as a second stepping stone to increase his jump and simultaneously sending the other squire crashing back down to his companions. While the deer proved agile enough to avoid the potential tangle of bodies, the boar was too slow and fell to the ground as the cat crashed into him. As Sonic(2) landed, he hurled his sword at the distracted Cervidae, striking him in the stomach. Though the wooden sword’s blunt nature, coupled with the padding all of the dueling squires were expected to wear, prevented it from doing any real damage, it did prove enough double over the young stag, setting him up for a nasty uppercut delivered by the highspeed hedgehog.

“Geez Sonic take it easy will ya,” the deer said as he rubbed his injured jaw. “This is practice, not live combat!”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Sonic(2) said. “Guess I got carried away.”

“Nah, you’re just trying to show off for your audience,” the boar retorted as he roughly tossed the cat off of himself. “Don’t know why though, everyone knows you’re already the kid’s favorite.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on, Hedgehog. Everyone knows how cushy you are with the Prince. If he passes his Rite of Ascension, you’re a shoe-in to take Connery’s place as the right-hand man to the King,” explained the boar. “Seems kinda underhanded to me though.”

“Is that what you think?” Sonic(2) asked in a dangerously neutral tone. “That the only reason I’m friends with Prince Miles is so I can get a promotion when he becomes King?” Unwilling to be cowed into submission by his fellow squire, the boar got to his feet and grunted an affirmative.

“We all see how much time you spend making yourself look good to him, hedgehog,” the boar said.

“Oh not this again,” the deer commented as he shook his head.

“No, this twerp asked, so I’m gonna tell him.” The tusked squire turned to face Sonic(2). “Everyone knows it. You got Connery for a Master, and you’re scoring points all the time on the off chance Miles actually gets the throne. You’d be stupid not to realize that’s a…” The boar was cut off as Sonic(2) hit him with a punch to his chin, knocking him backwards. Immediately, the boar got back to his feet, an angry look on his face as his hands balled into fists. “You little…”

“What’s going on here?” the instructor, a hound, demanded

“Sir, nothing sir,” the boar replied. “Sonic and I were just having a… ‘heated disagreement.’”

“Is this true Sonic?” Sonic(2) gave a glare at the boar, but decided it was a better idea to keep his temper in check.

“Yeah, we had a… ‘heated disagreement.’”

“Very well,” the hound said. “But I don’t want to see any more fisticuffs.” The canine Mobian then looked behind Sonic(2). “It seems you have an audience again, Squire Hedgehog. Kindly remind him this is not a stadium and we would appreciate it if he not ‘hang out’ here where he could get hurt.” The hedgehog looked behind him to find a familiar two tailed fox watching the whole proceeding from beside a weapons rack, ironically the same one that, years earlier, Sonic(2) had first met and befriended Prince Miles. For the briefest moment, Sonic(2) forgot the kitsune’s true identity. This did not last long, however, as he approached Tails.

“What are you doing here?” Sonic(2) asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and disappointment. Tails, adept at reading his hero no matter what universe he was from, chose to disregard the disappointment and focus more on the curiosity. 

“I saw you out here practicing with the others and was wondering if we could, I don’t know… hang out,” Tails stated. 

“Shouldn’t you be practicing for the ceremony?”

“Since when were you a stickler for the rules?”

“Since you nearly got killed twice and my friend’s life became dependent on you succeeding…”

“‘Honored Lords and Ladies… It is from the bottom of my heart that I thank you for journeying far and wide to attend my Rite of Ascension. I, Prince Miles Elias Prower, first son of King Maximillian Alexander the First of the House of Acorn, am deeply honored by the support I have received as I await judgment on my claim to the throne. Should the Source of All grant me its favor…’ You know, it’s gonna look awfully odd if I have to go through the entire thing with no one here to interact with.”

“You’ve memorized the speech?”

“Just because I haven’t been prepping for this day all my life doesn’t mean I can’t fake it,” Tails said, his chest puffing out with pride. “I happen to be considered quite versatile and intelligent where I come from.”

“Okay, point taken. But that still doesn’t explain your sudden interest in me.”

“Well… I don’t have anyone to talk to,” Tails explained meekly. “I’m either greeting a bunch of stuffy dignitaries who won’t give me the time of day, or reciting the same lines over and over again in front of Julayla. My Sonic is going out of his way to avoid me ‘cause he believes it’ll help me concentrate on playing the Prince’s part, while you seem like you’re creeped out just by my presence.”

“Well… I…” In reality, Sonic(2) just didn’t know how he should act around Tails. While this two tailed fox may have been superficially identical to his own, did that same thing ring true for their personalities? What about their likes and dislikes? Sonic(2) was perfectly aware that Miles looked up to him like an older brother, would it be a betrayal if he allowed Tails, even briefly, to do the same? Worse, could Sonic(2) handle it if the kid didn’t? Such questions were not ones the hedgehog liked to ask, nor were they ones he particularly wanted answers to, particularly if the answers were not to his liking Still…

“It’s all right, you don’t really have to explain. But still, I just thought we could hang out for a bit. I mean, even Prince Miles took a break from being royalty, right?” Tails knew perfectly well his missing twin had done just that, and with Sonic(2)’s aid no less. Sonic(2) considered what Tails had said. It was pretty unfair to keep the kid cooped up if he really had already memorized his part in the Rite of Ascension, a part that, with all due respect to the kid’s acting ability, the hedgehog was rather hoping Tails wouldn’t have to play. 

“So what did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know; what do you guys usually do for fun?”

“Ahhh...” Sonic(2) was less than enthusiastic about leading this fox into the same situations he and Prince Miles liked to call fun. Though he could guess that Tails’s own universe was anything but a nice place to live, he was uncomfortable with the thought of what his counterpart would do to him should the Prince’s stand-in get hurt. Still, it wasn’t like everything he and Miles liked to do was dangerous.

“Tell you what. How about we go into the city?”

“Mobotropolis? We can do that?” Tails asked. “Wait, won’t King Acorn want a bunch of guards to go with us? You know, to make sure I’m ‘safe.’”

“Nah, not the way me and the Prince go. Look, let’s go up to see Julayla. You turn on some of that natural charm you two-tailed foxes all seem to possess and we’ll try to convince her you deserve a short night tonight. I’ll hang around for a while and when you’re done,” Sonic(2) pulled Tails closer in what as definitely as conspiratorial hug, “I’ll show you how we have fun on this Mobius…” Tails smiled back at the hedgehog as he slowly nodded his head.

**************************

Sonic(1) was nearing the end of his rope. He’d been trying to tail Garivald ever since he’d been forced leave Tails in the care of the Prince’s servants, hoping to find some evidence as to what the badger was planning for his next move. But either the badger recognized Sonic(1) from their earlier encounter and was playing it cool, or he had given up on his ambitions; as he had not done anything Sonic(1) would have considered suspicious. Other than talk to a few of the less understanding nobles who were less than interested in seeing a “mere commoner” placed on the throne that is, and even that Sonic(1) could hardly call overly suspect. As the King’s advisor, it was the Mobian’s job to keep his Majesty appraised of any potential roadblocks to his plans. Currently he was having a rather animated conversation with an ugly, pudgy puffin named Donalito while Sonic(1) mopped nearby. 

“…arrogant little twit. I tell you Garivald, if my father hadn’t been so shortsighted as to sign that garbage treaty with Acorn, I never would stand for this.”

“And yet he did, your Highness, and you must. And unless your little coalition is stronger than it appears, it is not likely your disapproval will be a viable factor in whether he ascends or not.”

“I should be King. If Acorn is incapable of producing an heir, than he should forfeit his crown to the only who can truly be considered a leader, me.”

“You’re not even in the running Donalito, eh, forgive me, KING Donalito.”

“Quit with the simpering innocent act Garivald, you fool no one but Acorn. We all know where your ambitions lie.”

“I honestly haven’t a clue as to what you are saying,” Garivald retorted. Donalito stopped in his tracks as he felt a knife suddenly rest against his neck. Behind him, Arachne was using her extra appendages to make sure the Bird King knew it wasn’t a good idea to move. “And throwing such ‘unfounded’ accusations around is a very good way to find yourself a whole head shorter.”

“You would dare make such threats to ME!”

“My dear King Donalito, I would never threaten you,” Garivald said, gesturing slightly with his hand. In response, Uma released the puffin king and used a webline to go back into hiding. Sonic(1) made a mental note of where she went, just in case. “I merely wished to convey what, to me, seemed sage advice.” Garivald turned his back to the puffin. “But tell me something Donalito. Let us say there was someone else who existed who could challenge Prince Miles’s claim to the throne. Would there be those amongst the nobles who would support such a claim?”

“Do you not think we have tried to find such a one? Maximillian possesses no other siblings, and there is only one cousin, and he relinquished any claim he had when he married that Overlander girl he fell in love with.”

“You still have not answered my question. If there were another candidate with a claim equal in strength to young Prower’s, would there be nobles who would support him?”

“None among the upstart younger houses, no. They’re too blinded by the fox’s ‘heroics’ to see him for what he is. But where such a Walkerssend would come from I haven’t the foggiest. Why? Do you?”

“King Donalito, I am a loyal servant of the King of this realm. If such a creature existed, I would be duty-bound to tell his majesty first, particularly given how… delicate a situation it would create. It would be a tremendous blow to the young Prince to know all of his efforts were in vain simply because there was a suitable replacement.” Suddenly Garivald turned on his heel. “Not that it really matters. It’s simply a hypothetical after all,” the badger said, a sly smile passing over his face as he glanced back at the puffin.

Sensing that something was most definitely amiss, Sonic(1) quietly followed the badger. What he was unaware of, however, was the hidden figure following him.

***********************

Tails looked around “his” room carefully as Sonic(2) paced back and forth, checking the floor for something. Finally an audible creak came to the fox’s ears as the hedgehog smiled.

“Bingo,” Sonic(2) said as he lifted the board that had creaked, revealing a shallow hole in the floor. “I don’t know why but I can never find this thing again after I close it.”

“What is it?”

“They’re Eli’s clothes,” Sonic(2) said proudly as he lifted a plain looking tunic and some shoes up out of the hole. Tails looked at his friend quizzically.

“Okay, why are someone else’s clothes in ‘my’ room and why is this Eli person running around naked?” 

“He isn’t… yet anyway,” Sonic(2) said as he tossed the clothing in a pile onto the Prince’s bed. “Strip and we can get started.” Having spent his entire life running around in nothing but a pair of shoes and gloves, and sometimes not even that, Tails didn’t feel particularly embarrassed to be naked in front of Sonic, even if this wasn’t actually his Sonic. “Hmph,” Sonic(2) said when Tails tossed his clothes to the floor. “You’re skinnier than the Prince is.”

“I tend to burn a lot of energy running for my life,” Tails said somewhat sarcastically, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his body and eliciting a good-natured chuckle from Sonic(2).

“Okay, now turn around and lean on the bed.”

“What?”

“Believe it or not, foxes with two tails are something of a rarity on this world. If you turn up in the city sporting two tails, everyone’s gonna know who you are, and some of ‘em aren’t gonna be too interested in letting us walk around in peace.” Tails turned around and bent over the bed.

“So, what are you going to do… YIP!” Tails squealed as Sonic(2)’s hand grabbed the base of his tails. Slowly the hedgehog’s hand began to go up the two fluffy appendages, his fingers loose enough to prevent him from actually pulling the tender tails.

“Okay, try to hold your tails still.” Slowly the young kitsune became aware of something getting fitted over both his tails and being slid down. A sudden snap revealed that the object was some kind of rubber band. That’s when he began to feel Sonic(2) messing with his tail fur.

“What are you doing?”

“I have to make this look authentic. Otherwise no one’s going to believe you only have one, albeit a big and puffy, tail.” Two more rubber bands came down and Sonic(2) smoothed over the fur for them as well. “Okay, you can get up now.” Tails stood and craned his head. It did indeed look like he had one very big tail instead of two. “Try to move them together.”

“I’ll try,” Tails said. The fox found it difficult at first, especially since he wasn’t used to trying to move his tails in synch with each other for anything other than flying. With a little concentration and practice however, he did manage to pass himself off as a single tailed fox. Once satisfied, Sonic(2) grabbed the cub in an embrace. 

“Eli, it’s been such a long time buddy,” the hedgehog said in a self-mocking voice.

“I guess all you Sonics have the same idiotic sense of humor too, don’tcha,” Tails said in a deadpane voice. His friend laughed and dropped him.

“Okay, get dressed and we’ll take off for the city. We can probably spend a few hours in town, but we should get back before Rosie comes to do her bed check.”

“‘kay Sonic,” Tails said as he pulled the tunic over his head. Since he really was skinnier than the tunic’s real owner, it felt somewhat baggy and loose over his fur. “I’m just glad to finally be getting to leave the palace.” Once the tunic was on, Sonic(2) approached Tails carrying a small container in his hands. 

“Open your eyes and hold still,” Sonic(2) commanded before he put two contacts in the kit’s eyes. Tears welled up as Tails’s eyes tried to adjust to having something in them.

“What are these for?”

“A brown-eyed fox will be less identifiable than a blue-eyed one,” the Acorn squire explained. “Now you look just like Miles does when he goes out.” Tails looked at himself in the mirror. He did indeed look like a different fox. Tentatively he let his “tail” move, testing out the costume’s full effect. 

“Okay, so how do we get out of here?”

“Well ‘Eli’ we just walk out. Unlike Prince Miles, you and I aren’t expected to stay in the palace all the time.”

“You’re a famous squire though; won’t someone question what I’m doing here?”

“Not really. I’ve introduced you around as a page I’m taking under my wing. Which is kinda funny when you think about how you and I… err I mean Prince Miles and I first met.”

“You thought he was a page? Didn’t you wonder about the two tails?”

“Eh, I was young and stupid then.”

“As opposed to now,” Tails said, suddenly covering his mouth as he realized what he’d just said. It was fairly common for Sonic(1) and himself to take cheap-shots at each other without fear of hurting feelings, but with this world’s Sonic, he wasn’t so sure. Fearfully he looked over at his new blue friend only to see the hedgehog smiling back at him.

“That was pretty good. I’m gonna have to remember it,” he said, slapping the kitsune in disguise on the back as they continued on their way out of the palace.

***********************

One hour later found Tails enjoying a chocolate ice-cream cone Sonic(2) had purchased for him from a street vendor. The day had been fairly warm and the evening was only barely cooling down, so the young kit’s tongue was working overtime to collect all of the precious, delicious liquid as it melted down the cone.

“So where to now Sonic?” the fox cub asked.

“Well, I don’t really know. I mean, what do you normally like to do?” Sonic(2) asked. Tails stopped walking as he thought about that.

“I’ve never actually been to Mobotropolis, so I don’t know. The city fell when I was an infant. And by the time Knothole got built up into a working city, I was too involved in keeping our defenses on-line to really have time for normal fun.” The blue hedgehog snapped his fingers.

“Okay, then how about we try the arcade, Slipstream.”

“Slipstream?”

“Yeah, it’s a really cool arcade that’s only a few blocks from here,” the hedgehog explained. “Prince Miles liked… likes it, so maybe you will too.”

“Okay, but… I don’t have any money.”

“Not to worry. Got my allowance, got my stipend from Connery. I can afford to splurge a little to show a friend who’s new to town a good time.” With a happy grin on his   
face, Tails walked with Sonic as the two made their way to the aforementioned establishment, completely oblivious to the shadow watching them from the rooftops.


	13. Out On The Town

“Come on, come on, come on,” Tails yelled as he jerked the joystick that was in his hand backward. On the video screen before him, a virtual picture of a fighter plane pulled up, climbing higher into the pixilated sky of its computer generated world. All around it other planes of similar make were flying by, past, and towards him, some shooting, others simply blocking. While Tails was able to make the plane avoid most of the enemy fire, a good deal successfully struck his avatar, explaining the source of the kit’s irritation. A loud slam was heard throughout the game room as Tails’s hands struck the console in frustration upon watching his simulated skyship explode and the words “GAME OVER” dance across the screen.

“Not having a good time?” Sonic(2) quipped with a smile as he observed the frustrated fox.

“It’s these stupid controls, they’re too unresponsive. It takes a full second for the plane on the screen to do what I tell it to do.”

“And this is a problem because…”

“My reflexes are too fast. I see a threat and react but the stupid game is already two steps behind.”

“Okay, so maybe actual video games aren’t your thing… or too much your thing as it were. How ‘bout we try some other games?” Indeed it wasn’t as though there was not a plethora of games to choose from. In addition to the normal video games, the Slipstream had skeeball, pool, ping-pong, air-hockey, and a myriad of other games based more on skill than luck. The Arcade even had a concession booth that served soda, pizza, fries, chili-dogs, and other “wholesome” snacks. In short, the place was what Tails’s Sonic’s Uncle Chuck had once termed a “blackhole for children’s money.”

Making their decision, the duo walked over to one of the three air hockey tables, with Sonic(2) putting some mobiums into the slots of the machine. Immediately the table came to life as the air jets activated, the scoreboard lit up, and the little plastic puck dropped into the cup. The two friends each grabbed a striker while Sonic(2) grabbed the puck and placed it in the center of the table.

“Okay, ‘Eli,’ the object of this game is just like regular hockey. You gotta put the puck in the other player’s goal. It starts off in the center then whoever gets scored on gets the puck the next time around,” Sonic(2) explained. “Since this is your first time, I’ll take it easy on you and not go as fast…” The hedgehog’s litany was interrupted by the clinking sound of the puck sailing into his goal. Across the table, Tails wore a look of perfect innocence as he held both his hands behind his back.

“Ahm sowwy Sonic, was you not weady?” Tails asked in his most infantile voice. Sonic(2) looked at the fox with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment for being caught off guard so easily.

“Oh you think you’re cute, don’tcha?” Tails’s innocent face disappeared, replaced by a sneaky smirk as he nodded. Moving at supersonic speed, Sonic(2) struck the puck, sending it ricocheting no less than fourteen times off the sides of the table before swooshing into Tails’s goal, evening the score. “Well I hope Babyface came to play.”

“You’re on Sonic,” Tails said as he placed the puck before him and the two began to square off in what was arguably the fastest paced game of air hockey the table had ever seen. The rapid clicking of the hard plastic against the table sides proved enough to begin attracting a crowd of teens. Every so often a cheer would go up as one of the two Mobians succeeded at scoring on the other. Finally, after about an hour, the score was successfully all tied up at six points apiece. Under the hot light that loomed over the table, Tails was panting while beads of sweat fell off of Sonic(2)’s exposed skin. 

“Last point, ‘Eli.’ Hope you’re up to it,” Sonic(2) said as he smiled at his foxy friend.

“I’m game if you are Sonic,” Tails said as he held up the thin plastic disk. Carefully he placed it on the table and, like lightning, sent it rocketing in a straight line for Sonic(2)’s goal, hoping to score a quick win. The hedgehog proved too fast, however, sending the puck bouncing back to the fox’s side of the table. A hard swipe from Tails and the disk’s movements became even more erratic and hard to catch, finally ending with it bouncing back and forth across the dead center of the table. With a determination born of an intense game, both furries lunged forward with their strikers hoping to be the first to hit the puck. The resulting collision between all three objects resulted in the plastic disk being launched off the table and flying over the heads of the spectators. 

“Ouch!” came a cry as the disk found a target with a loud #clunk.# 

“Uh oh,” Sonic(2) said as a rather large looking figure made its way through the crowd, which had gotten bigger in anticipation of a possible fight. The struck figure was a large hyena wearing a dirty leather biker’s jacket with the words “Nasty Hyenas” emblazoned on the back. A cap and some goggles rested on his head, also covered in dirt and grime, as were the fingerless gloves he wore on his hands that exposed his sharp claws. His hackles were raised and his teeth were gritted in anger as he looked at the two younger Mobians in anger.

“You two got a deathwish or something?” the hyena asked in a growling voice. “Do you have any idea what I’m gonna do to you for hitting me on the head.” Sonic(2) pulled Tails behind him, ready to defend the fox should trouble start. Thankfully, this time trouble decided to take a vacation.

“Lay off Tooth, I don’t want any trouble here,” said another voice belonging to a familiar looking walrus.

“Whatcha gonna do Tusker, call my mommy?” Tooth chided. 

“No, I’ll call the cops. Then they can haul you off to jail.” Suddenly, the hyena seemed to deflate as he considered the teenaged walrus’s words. “Now are you gonna calm down and let this go or what?” Tooth growled as he looked between Tails and Sonic(2) and Rotor.

“You better just hope I don’t find you in some dark alley, hedge-rat. You AND your little fluffball.” Angrily the hyena stomped off.

“Thanks Rot, though you know I coulda handled that loser.”

“Yeah, and smashed up the whole place while you were at it. I got enough work to do without your help, y’know,” Rotor said as he gave Sonic(2) a high five. Then his eyes shifted down to Tails. “Hey Eli, I haven’t seen you for a while.”

“Yeah you know how it is, homework, schoolwork, page duties all that,” Sonic(2) quickly answered before Tails could. “Personally I think it’s a bit much to be dumpin’ on an elementary school kid, so I thought I’d treat him to a night on the town.”

“Prince Miles’s is too busy preparing for his ceremony to be any fun, right?” Rotor asked, something of a disappointed look on his face. 

“It’s not like that, Rot.”

“You know,” the walrus began as he whispered to the hedgehog in a voice Tails had to struggle to hear over the din of the place, “it’s really not fair to use Eli as some sort of back-up when Miles can’t hang out.” 

“Rotor…”

“How would you like it if you were someone’s second choice all the time?” Rotor continued. For a brief moment, Tails wondered if he should be offended or concerned. Clearly, these little outings he took with Sonic(2) were having an effect on the hedgehog’s reputation, even as being his friend at the palace cost him some respect amongst his fellow squires.

“Oh yes, before I forget, Amy is looking for you,” Rotor said, his voice returning to normal as though he had never had his “conversation” with Sonic(2).

“Amy?” the blue speedster yelped, suddenly slapping his forehead. “I forgot about our dinner date, didn’t I?”

“She says she’s willing to forgive, given how much you’ve been through, but if you forget to take her to the Ascension ceremony, she’ll flay you alive,” the walrus said in a completely neutral voice. At this Sonic(2)’s already big eyes widened and he turned to Tails.

“Take a memo, Amy must not miss the ceremony,” Sonic said, prompting Tails to pantomime writing that down in an invisible notebook.

***********

Meanwhile, not far off, a meeting of a different sort was taking place. Garivald entered a dark, rundown looking building, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim-light.

“Ya came,” came a snide voice as a light suddenly came on, doing very little to illuminate the dank interior, just as its owner preferred. Sitting behind an old and dusty desk, his feet propped up by it, sat a purple weasel. He wore only a pair of boots, a belt, and an ornate looking fedora on his head. A single glistening tooth shone in the dim light, adding an air of danger to the weasel’s appearance.

“Is all of this melodrama really necessary, Mr. Sniper?” Garivald asked, not moved in the least by the little mercenary’s act.

“Oh come on Gari, at least allow me a little shudder or something like that,” Fang said as he pulled on the white stick protruding from his mouth, revealing it to be, not a   
cigarette, but a lollipop. “After all, I go to a lotta trouble to set the mood here.”

“My name is Garivald, LORD Garivald, not Gari.”

“And my name’s Fang the Sniper, not Mr. Sniper. I mean that’s just dumb.”

“Am I wasting my time here?” Garivald asked, already losing patience with this conversation. “I was given to understand that you could be of some help to me.”

“Me? Oh I’m a real helpful guy, specially when I get asked nicely… and paid even nicer.”

“Do you know just who I am?”

“You’re Garviald… excuse me ‘Lord’ Garivald, Advisor to the King and second in line to the throne of Acorn, after a certain two-tailed Vulpes vulpes that is. It ain’t that I don’t know; it’s that I don’t care. You could be the high muckety-muck of Angel Island, but the fact remains YOU need ME, or else you wouldn’ta set up this little meeting.” Fang replaced the lollipop into his mouth. “Now, since I ain’t being paid by the hour, what dya want?”

“Obnoxious, arrogant little… very well. I require your assistance in the upcoming ceremony involving Prince Miles. I need you to help create a scenario wherein the fox prince is unable to successfully claim his title as the new Crown Prince, thus allowing me to challenge him for the throne.” At this Fang let out a snicker.

“So, the rumors prove true after all.”

“Rumors?”

“That you’ve been trying to axe the kid so you can take his place,” Fang said. “Not exactly the most original idea ever, or even the safest, but I don’t get paid to judge. ‘Course you realize regicide ‘s expensive.”

“I didn’t say I wanted the brat dead, did I?” Garivald said, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve been trying to kill Miles for four years with no success. No, what I need you to do is weaken his claim to the throne so that I may legally challenge it.”

“‘Weaken’ his claim? How do you expect me to do that, dig up some dirt that he’s not an orphan? I think the two dead foxes in the cemetery say different badger boy.”

“Will you help, or won’t you?” Garivald asked as he dropped a rather large wad of Mobium bills on the desk for Fang’s inspection. 

“What do I gotta do?” With much more care than he did the money, the badger placed a small cube in front of the weasel.

“Synthia will explain your role, my dear Fang, you just be sure to complete your task.” With that, the badger left. Above him a pair of yellow eyes watched as he left.

***************************************

“That was great Sonic!” Tails exclaimed as they exited the Slipstream roughly two hours later. “I mean, except for that jerk, but still it was fun. Thanks for taking me out tonight.”

“Yeah, wish we’d kept better track of time though,” Sonic(2) said as he looked at the rapidly setting sun, now just a sliver of yellow in the horizon. “If we don’t get you back before Rosie comes to check on you, we’ll both be in it up to our necks.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” the fox said somewhat dejectedly, more because he wanted to see more of the city than anything else. Suddenly, the young boy’s face lightened. “Hey, I’ll race you back!”

“Wait, we can’t get sepa…”

“One… two… three… GO!” And Tails was off like a shot. With no other choices available to him, Sonic(2) revved up his feet and took off in hot pursuit. Though he couldn’t use his tails to accelerate himself further, the rather large headstart Tails had managed to grab on his friend meant it would take some effort for the hedgehog to catch up to him, particularly in the winding streets of Mobotropolis. A soft sonic boom indicated Sonic(2) had recovered from the shock of seeing Tails take off and was starting his own pursuit. The fox smiled. Without his tails he’d never be able to match any Sonics’ speed at full tilt but he wagered that, in this crowded city, with his agility backing him, he might just stand a chance against Sonic(2). A sense of urgency came over him, however, as he looked behind him to see the tell-tale signs of Sonic(2) tearing up the streets to catch up to him.

~Better take a shortc…~ Tails’s thoughts were interrupted, however, as he slammed into a pair of legs that had appeared in front of him.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here,” Tooth said as he reached down and grabbed the fox cub by the scruff of his neck. “Y’know, I was really hopin’ I’d bump into you again. You and that snotty hedgehog. Let me guess, your babysitter cut the strings for the night?”

“Let me go or you’re gonna be sorry,” Tails threatened as he squirmed in the hyena’s grasp, trying to sound tough. “Sonic’ll break you in two, and that’s only after I get done with ya.” At this Tooth laughed as he looked back at the alley he’d come out of. 

“You guys hear that? This pup thinks he’s gonna hurt me.” A lump developed in Tails’s stomach as he heard more laughter coming from the alley as three more hyenas, two males and one female that were all wearing the same “Nasty Hyenas” jacket Tooth wore, stepped out of the darkness. 

“Hey I think the little brat’s serious,” said the female hyena with a pink Mohawk as she fought back fits of laughter. “Say Tooth, maybe you should play it safe and skin ‘em so he can’t hurtcha. ‘Sides, I could always use a new pair of gloves for winter, and I hear fox fur’s dreamy.” Tails gulped as he heard the click of a knife opening in Tooth’s other hand.

“I’ll leave enough for your friend to know who you are, how’s that sound kid?”

“It sounds sick, and if you don’t put him down this instant, laughing boy, I’ll make you wish you’d never laid eyes on him,” Sonic(2) said as he came to a stop in front of the hyenas. 

“You want this puffball, hedgie, come and get him if you think you can,” Tooth said as he held poor Tails close to him. The other three hyenas stepped forward, each brandishing a weapon of their own. Looking to his side, Sonic(2) picked up a broken broom handle and brandished it like a sword.

“Not exactly my first choice, but this should be serviceable.”

“Ha ha ha, whatcha gonna do, clean up after us?”

“Nah, I was thinkin’ I’d just clean your clocks.” The hedgehog charged the group of larger Mobians, makeshift sword held across his body as he prepared to rescue his friend. Suddenly, a black ball struck the hyena he’d been charging for, knocking the dog-like creature to his back. The ball ricocheted to the female, catching her in the face and eliciting a loud yelp from her as she was smacked into a nearby wall. The second male howled in pain as the ball struck the back of his knees with a terrible force, then rode up his spine leaving a nasty gash in the jacket. Finally the ball landed next to Sonic(2), revealing the black form of “Shadow.”

“Who the frell are you?!” Tooth growled.

“I’m someone who’s bad side you do NOT wanna be on, Spot,” Sonic(1) growled back. “Now put the kid down or they’ll never find your body.” Tails felt the blade of the hyena’s knife as it was pressed against his neck menacingly.

“You think you can get me before I get him? Do ya?”

“The real question you should ask is how much I’m gonna hurt you if you don’t let him go right now!” Sonic(1) said as he fixed a stony glare on the hyena. Nagging doubt began to appear in the back of Tooth’s mind as he considered the black hedgehog’s words. 

“Ah, take the little nothing,” Tooth yelled, dropping Tails roughly on the ground as he ran from the fight, his three buddies following closely on his tail. Rubbing his bottom, the kit got to his feet and ran over to the Sonics, smiling at his black friend.

“Thanks, uh, ‘Shadow’ you were a big…” Tails stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the angry look on Sonic(1)’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing out here? You’re supposed to be back at the palace where it’s safe!”

“Hey, it isn’t exactly the kid’s fault…” Sonic(2) began.

“No, it isn’t. It’s also yours. Is this how you go about protecting someone, leave ‘em exposed to every idiot with a knife?”

“Sonic we were just trying to have some fun,” Tails protested.

“Someone’s tried to kill you twice, this is not the time for fun. Have you forgotten the fate of this world is on your shoulders?” Sonic(1) paused as he realized he was getting stares from onlookers. “WHAT ARE YOU LOSERS LOOKING AT?!”

“Look it’s not like Prince Miles and I don’t pull this stuff when we’re together. I’ve got plenty of experience keeping him outta trouble.”

“Yeah, and putting him IN trouble. The first time those hyenas made threats, you shoulda beat feet back to the palace.”

“And what, we just go into hiding every time someone who doesn’t like us shows up? Yeah that’s real fun,” Sonic(2) said, crossing his arms in what was almost universally Sonic’s way of saying he’d made his final point.

“Fun nothing! In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a dangerous psychopath after him who wants him dead!”

“And that differs from our world how exactly?” Tails asked, fed up with being treated like he should have no say in what was happening. “Except that on this world, the ‘psycho’ in question can’t send an army of killer robots after me.”

“It’s different there, we know Robotnik, we know Snively, we know Mogul… We have no idea what this Garivald will do,” the black-painted hedgehog began to rant.

“But I do,” said the blue. “I’ve kept the Prince alive for years against Garivald’s plots. I may not have been able to put a permanent end to his schemes, but the only reason you’re here now is because one of YOUR baddies got the drop on you, not mine.”

“So what, you think you can protect him better than I can!?” Sonic(1) screamed at his squirely counterpart. 

“I’ve been protecting him for most of his life, I think I’m pretty good at it, you know,” Sonic(2) countered. 

“Uh, guys, I’m not exactly some little china doll that needs to be kept under lock and key,” Tails said, disliking being talked about as though he wasn’t even present.

“Yes because you did so well avoiding that hyena,” Sonic(1) said in an accusing tone. “You’re better than that Tails. If you’d let your guard down like that back in Robotropolis, you’d be toast by now.” Tails backed up from the dark hedgehog, more than a little offended at what he was hearing.

“And just what is your record for being captured, hedgehog?” Tails asked, his ears lying back against his head. 

“That’s not even my point, kid. This isn’t our Mobius, these aren’t our enemies. You have no idea what could be waiting out there for you. At least in Megaopolis we know Chubber-bolts’s plans and his strategies. Here, we have no way to tell who’s a friend and who’s an enemy.”

“Uh, I’m a friend,” Sonic(2) said, in something of an offended tone. “And what’s more I have lots of other friends who are all willing to help out in a pinch. It’s not like the two of you are alone against a world full of psychotic maniacs out for your heads, no matter what may be happening on your own world.”

“Sonic,” Tails began, only realizing his mistake when both hedgehogs looked at him. “Uh, the black one… What else can I do? I’m expected to act like Prince Miles, and he wouldn’t let himself stay cooped up. And for that matter neither would I!”

“Tails, you don’t understand…”

“Understand what? What don’t I understand? I’ve been dodging laser fire and bombs and enemies and Walkers only know what else almost since I was born. Changing the venue doesn’t change the fact that I’m not some dumb kid that needs to be babysat. And what’s more what did you expect to have happen? Mobotropolis may be old hat to you, but I NEVER got a chance to see it, EVER. And now, here I am, with a chance to actually see the city that I SHOULD have gotten to be a part of, and you order me to ignore it just cause you’re scared I’m gonna get myself blasted!” Having vented his anger at being babied, Tails turned his back on both hedgehogs.

“Tails, I’m sorry. I know you’re not ‘some dumb kid’ but this isn’t exactly the ideal situation for us to be in. Usually we’re dealing with more straightforward villains, but here, anyone could be a problem. People we usually trust could be enemies out to kill you and… and…”

“And the only one who’d know it for sure would be me,” Sonic(2) interjected. “Is that what you’re so upset about, not that I’m willing to help but that I can do it better than you? Is that what knocking the stuffing out of those hyenas was about? To prove you’re top dog or something like that.” At the blue Sonic’s words, Sonic(1) also turned his back, somewhat ashamed that his counterpart had hit the nail rather hard on the head in this case. 

“Look let’s just get back to the castle,” Sonic(1) suggested. “I’m sure someone will find the Prince soon and then Tails and I can get out of this reality and back to our own.” It was in something of a somber mood that the three Mobians started off towards the home of the royal family.

“So ‘Shadow,’ why were you out here anyway?” Tails asked as the trio continued making their way back to the castle.

“Oh yeah, I caught Garivald talking to that King Donalito guy,” Sonic(1) said, glad his little friend had changed the subject. “He was saying how if someone could challenge your claim to the throne, the rebel nobles would support that guy over you?”

“Someone to challenge Miles’s claim to the throne?” Sonic(2) asked, shaking his head. “That’s not possible. Once Prince Miles becomes the Crown Prince, nothing short of an actual member of Max’s bloodline could challenge him for succession, and there’s nobody like that.”

“Puffin boy mentioned a cousin…”

“Gregor? Nah, he surrendered his claim to the crown so he could marry that Overlander he fell for. And Max doesn’t have any siblings…”

“What about… ah…” Sonic(1) was unsure how to proceed with his question, particularly with a youngster like Tails around. Fortunately, his blue counterpart proved quick on the uptake.

“King Max? Cheat on Alicia? Kintobor would sooner kiss Robotnik,” Sonic(2) laughed.

“Ew, I’ll take you’re word for it,” Sonic(2) said, fighting very hard to get that most disturbing image out of his head. 

“So,” Tails began, steering the conversation back towards what they’d originally been talking about, “did you find out anything about Garivald?”

“That’s the thing, big guy, I lost him when he entered the city. Spent most of my time out here trying to find him, then I saw you two and those hyenas.” From Sonic(1)’s tone at this last part, it was clear he was still not completely over the incident, so Tails decided to let it drop.

“So, we know Chopper-Face is up to something, but we don’t know what.”

“Only that he means to challenge Miles’s claim to the throne… Besides a blood relative, what else could keep the kid off the throne?”

“Nothing once the King’s officially named him and the Crown of Acorns has given its blessing.”

“Any potential problems with the Crown?”

“None that I know of. Miles has told me how it’s never rejected him before.”

“Before?”

“You don’t seriously think King Max would wait until the ceremony itself to have the kid wear it for the first time, do ya? That thing could go bonkers and blow Miles’s head off.”

“You said the King has to officially declare me his heir right? What would happen if he wasn’t able to do that?” Tails asked. Sonic(2) suddenly stopped in his tracks. 

“I… I don’t know. I mean, everyone knows it’s the King’s intention to name Miles the Crown Prince once he wears the crown and passes with the nobles but…”

“But if the King were dead…” Sonic(1) continued, understanding where Tails’s question was leading.

“It could be suggested that he’d changed his mind,” Tails said completing the trio’s thought. “If Garivald found a way to eliminate the King, then he could challenge Prince Miles for the throne.”

“How would he plan to do that? The King’s got the best bodyguard in the world, Sir Connery,” Sonic(2) pointed out, not without justifiable pride.

“No, he HAD the best, but Connery’s busy with preparations for the ceremony, remember,” Tails reminded his two hedgehog friends. “That’s why Garivald was so gung-ho about Connery taking over the Secret Service, remember. He wasn’t trying to tighten security around me, he loosened the security around the King!”

“So what do we do?” Sonic(1) asked, his black quills catching a breeze.

“Telling Max would probably be a fool’s errand,” Sonic(2) answered, his blue quills catching the same breeze. “Without some form of hard evidence against the Advisor, the King won’t likely do anything.”

“What about Connery?” Tails asked.

“Same problem… He’d probably believe us if we had something to show him, but just saying it is no help. And he knows Donalito doesn’t like you… er Miles, so that’s no help.”

“No what we need is someone naturally suspicious, who sees conspiracy at every turn,” Sonic(1) suggested. “The kind of nutjob who doesn’t need one or two to make three…”

“Geofferey St. John!” all three Mobians declared at once…”


	14. Plan C

Tails stared out over the large balcony that was a part of Prince Miles’s room, taking in the sights that lay before him. The finishing touches were being put on the castle’s decorations as the entire Kingdom of Acorn seemed to be preparing for the young Prince’s ascension to Crown Prince. All over the stone building the colors of the kingdom, red and blue, could be seen while the crest of the royal family seemed to be stamped on every space available. Tails looked out into the horizon to see more signs of the day’s upcoming festivities. Colorful tents had been set up in several of the city’s open areas, again all sporting the red and blue motif, while more and more decorations were quickly being raised as well. Even now he could make out the procession of gilded carriages, sedans, and even litters that carried the invited towards the castle grounds.

Casually Tails sniffed the air, his sensitive nose picking up on the delicious aromas that came wafting even to the heights of his current perch. The castle kitchen was busily preparing for the feast that would be held for most of the day with all sorts of treats and delicacies that Tails simply couldn’t begin to describe. Though meat, with the exception of fish, had largely been deemed offensive to the less carnivorous members of Mobian society, that did little to hinder the variety chefs were able to give from their kitchens, particularly once the shaping and cooking of tofu had been perfected. 

One of Tails’s ears bent backwards at the sound of his door opening and he looked back to find Rosie standing in the doorway, a look of surprise on her face and a tray of food in her hands.

“Oh, forgive me Prince Miles, I wasn’t aware you were awake. I would have brought breakfast earlier had I known,” Rosie said with a smile as she placed the tray on the bed and crossed the room to Tails.

“It’s all right Rosie, I was just too excited to sleep.”

“I understand. Today is a big day, for you and for the kingdom,” the beaver said as she caught the fox “prince” up in a backwards hug and looked with him over the balcony. “Soon the festivities will begin. Dancing and merriment, all to be topped off with the crowning of our next King.”

“Maybe,” Tails said, somewhat dejectedly. With the real Prince Miles still missing, Tails had no illusions as to what would happen the moment the Crown of Acorns came to rest on his head. He also had no illusions as to what would happen after the Crown was through blabbing his secret to everyone. He just hoped Nilrem had some sort of Plan B before Tails found himself a head shorter. Misinterpreting his anxieties for fear and doubt, Rosie did what she could to ease them.

“Now, now mustn’t speak like that my precious little one,” she intoned in a soothing voice. “All will go as planned today; you’ll see. The nobles will give you their support, the Crown will rest gently upon your head, and the King, your father, will name you his heir apparent.”

“Yeah, everything will be okay,” Tails said, again more for Rosie’s benefit than for his own. Suddenly the kitsune leapt out of Rosie’s arms as he remembered an important detail he still had to take care of. “Oh yeah, I wanted to invite someone new to the ceremony.”

“Miles, you were asked three weeks ago for a final list of guests you wanted to invite. Mere hours before the ceremony is to begin is not enough time to…”

“Pleeeeeease,” Tails said, utilizing the same puppy dog eyes that so often succeeded in making Sally cave in to his requests. 

“I suppose one person can be snuck in. Who is this friend of yours?”

“Well he’s… uh… Shadow…”

“Shadow? I’m sorry I don’t think I remember who that is.”

“He’s… well… he’s one of the new members of the cleaning staff,” Tails said sheepishly. “Black hedgehog, sorta looks like Sonic if you, uhm, squint really hard.” 

“He must have made something of a good impression on you, your Highness, if you want to invite him to your ceremony.”

“He’s an old friend of Sonic’s, see, and Amy’s too… They kinda asked if he could come, sorta a… welcome to Mobotropolis thing,” Tails explained, a grin on his face as he oozed charm. Whether or not Rosie bought the story, the two tailed fox never really could figure out, but after a few minutes of thought, Rosie smiled back at him.

“Very well, I shall tell Sir Connery to expect this Shadow person,” the beaver nursemaid relented. “Now, come back over here so I can begin trying to tame that wild fur of yours while you eat your breakfast. We must get ready to go to the main hall and meet with the guests.

************************************

“Yo, Geoff ol’ skunk, what up?” Sonic(2) asked as he approached the black and white Mobian in the brightened and colorful hallways of Castle Acorn. St. John stopped in his tracks as the blue hedgehog approached, a look of irritation and annoyance on his face.

“The name is Geofferey St. John, squire, COMMANDER St. John to you. I would prefer it that you refer to me as such, particularly since we are hardly on terms I would deem friendly enough for ‘nicknames’ anymore.”

“Woah, kinda harsh there, don’tcha think?” Sonic(2) asked as he scooted his way in front of the skunk to bar his way. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”

“Ample reason for me not to be found, I would say,” St. John replied, his face a look of indifference.

“Prince Miles has been looking for you too.” Geofferey’s face remained indifferent, but he was no longer trying to force his way past his younger obstacle.

“Though I may have had my capacity as Commander of His Majesty’s Secret Service diminished, I assure you that it is only a temporary condition. If the young Prince is harboring some delusion of turning me into some sort of ‘buddy’ like he has you, than kindly go and dissuade him of that notion.”

“Geez you know it wouldn’t hurt to be a little friendly, you might get more people to like you.”

“I am not here to be liked Sonic, not by you, not by the Prince, not even by King Maximillian himself. I’m here to do a job, to be an effective and powerful tool for my kingdom’s defense. If to be that tool I must become the most loathed and hated Mobian on the planet, then that is the course I must take.”

“Well you’re doing a great job of it ‘cause neither Miles or me like you at all,” Sonic(2) quipped as Geofferey elbowed his way past the hedgehog. “In fact I don’t think Max would even tolerate you if you weren’t actually pretty good at your job.” The skunk stopped in his tracks. Had Sonic(2) just paid him a compliment?

“What’s you’re game hedgehog?” St. John asked, walking back up to the blue squire he had a full inch on.

“Look, we’ve got something of a problem on our hands. With all the attempts on Miles’s life, we’ve been getting suspicious about who’s behind it.”

“So why not take your suspicions to Connery, or even the King. You’re on friendlier terms with them then you’ll ever be with me.” Sonic(2) looked away from Geofferey for a minute, not in shame, but in confusion as he tried to figure out the best way to say what he needed to without snapping at the arrogant skunk. Thankfully, this one time, Geofferey’s disdain for Sonic(2) worked in the hedgehog’s favor. “You don’t have any evidence, do you?”

“No, but that’s never stopped you from investigating things before,” Sonic(2) said, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them. In the back of his mind he chided himself. Now was not the time to be antagonizing the skunk.

“I listen to my instincts; that doesn’t mean I’m inclined to listen to the ‘instincts’ of others.”

“Look, something bad is going to happen at the ceremony. I don’t know what it is, but I know Garivald is going to be involved.”

“Ah, so that’s with this is about,” St. John said, rolling his eyes as he turned away from the hedgehog.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you aren’t the least bit suspicious as to who’s been trying to kill Miles so earnestly.”

“As a matter of fact, hedgehog, I have my own idea on that, one that I’m currently trying to follow up on. Now if you don’t mind, I don’t have any more time to spend on childish delusions. Just go back to babysitting and leave Prince Miles’s security to those who have been properly trained to handle it.”

“I would, except I have yet to see ANYONE WHO CAN!!” Sonic(2) yelled at St. John. If the skunk heard the hedgehog, however, his retreating backside gave no sign.

* * * 

While Squire Sonic was busy dealing with Geofferey, Sonic Prime found himself being handled by Sir Connery himself. It had started fairly innocently. He’d been minding his own business, scrubbing some floor (okay he was actually spying on a few of the nobles) when a guard had approached him and demanded the hedgehog accompany him. Sonic(1) had been ready to fire off one of his patented quips when the beaver guard had roughly grabbed him by the arm, adding the word “NOW!” to the previous request. Though the blue-turned-black Mobian could have easily broken the beaver’s grip, and even turned it around if he so chose, the type of attention such an act would attract was not something he needed.

Soon Sonic(1) found himself deposited in a chair sitting across from Sir Connery himself. The horse knight’s hands were clasped in front of his face as he stared at Sonic(1) who was now flanked on either side by a beaver guard. A weasel wearing a shirt collar and tie but nothing else walked up to the desk, handing the knight a rather thin file. Connery opened the file, looking at the paper inside.

“Shadow Vidmar?” he asked, already knowing the answer. Sonic(1), not willing to let himself seem intimidated in the presence of the legendary knight, nodded with a smile. “You only recently came to work at the castle on the custodial force, about a week and a half ago, right?”

“Well, I needed a job and this seemed an easy way to make a living.” Connery looked at the hedgehog and for the briefest moment Sonic(1) worried he would see the more than passing similarity between his own Sonic and the one being interrogated as it were.

“And yet, despite your short tenure here, you seem to have made a lasting impression on the young Prince.”

“Miles? Yeah, he’s a great kid, sweet as a button,” Sonic(1) said, hoping not to ham it up too much.

“He obviously likes you too as he has asked that you be invited to the Ceremony this afternoon.”

“Really, cool, I’ll wear my good dress shoes…”

“You would get along quite well with a squire I know,” Connery commented dryly. “Be that as it may, I must say I am somewhat concerned. With all the attempts on Prince Miles’s life, I’m finding myself less and less trusting of new arrivals, especially when they appear to be perfectly harmless.”

“Hey, what ya see is what you get with me,” Sonic(1) intoned. “I mean seriously, if I were trying to hurt Ta… Miles, why would I have helped save him from the Overlanders back at the Death… I mean, Dark Star.” Once more the hedgehog flashed his most sincere smile, hoping to distract the horse from his verbal slip-ups.

“I can think of a few reasons,” Connery finally said. “Add to that the fact that we can’t seem to find ANY information on you before you joined us in the castle, and it makes you seem awfully suspicious.”

“Ah yes, about that, I used to live on Angel Island on the outskirts of Echidnopolis you see…”

“Ah huh. So you’re saying if I were to ask Guardian Knuckles for access to the citizen registry of Angel Island, I would find you?” The tone of Connery’s voice caused a less than appetizing lump to appear in Sonic(1)’s gut as he began to consider the possibility that the temporary commander of the Secret Service had done just that. The two Sonics and Tails had decided to use Angel Island as “Shadow’s” last known address because of the difficulty anyone would have in disproving it. The echidnas were notoriously obstinate when it came to giving out information and it had been hoped that trait would hold true if they were asked about Shadow Vidmar. 

“Well, you know, I was on the outskirts of the city… really in the brush actually. We might not have been as good about registering ourselves as we could have been.”

“Well, then, if no file exists, I’m sure your parents will be more than happy to corroborate…”

“Excuse me sir,” a serviceman interrupted Sir Connery as he entered the room. Sonic(1) looked up to see a middle-aged looking fox wearing a green jacket and a red beret. In his hand was a thin folder; presumably the results the Secret Service’s attempt to track down a record on Sonic(1)’s false identity. The black painted hedgehog’s mind began to race as he tried to think of a way to escape the inevitable attempt to detain him. He was so caught up trying to come up with a plan of action, that he wasn’t paying any attention to Sir Connery who was now reading the file. Thus what the horse knight next said came as something of a shock to Sonic(1).

“Well Mr. Vidmar, it seems I owe you an apology. I’m afraid with all the unwanted activity we’ve been having lately, I have become less willing to take people at their word,” Sir Connery said, extending a hand to Sonic(1), who eagerly took the proffered sign of friendship. “According to the echidna database, you are who you say you are.”

“Really? I mean, of course I am, but I guess I can’t really fault ya for bein’ suspicious. I mean, good-looking, ultra-cool hero type just happens to show up when you need him, I’d be suspicious too.” Sonic(1) noticed that Sir Connery had begun to look at him rather oddly.

“Are you sure you’re not related to Viscount Charles Hedgehog? You look and act an awful lot like his nephew.”

“Uh, no I am not related to VISCOUNT Charles Hedgehog,” Sonic(1) said sheepishly. “So, uh, you said I was being invited to the party you’re having here later?” Jerked out of his suspicions, Connery remembered the full reason he’d had to take an interest in the part-time janitor. He reached into his desk, pulling out an envelope with an impression of the royal seal on it.

“Yes. As I said, it seems you left something of a favorable impression on our soon-to-be sovereign. This invitation will allow you enter the ceremony as a guest.” Connery handed the envelope to the hedgehog. “That being said, you are expected to be on your best, your VERY best behavior while in attendance. As a guest personally invited by the Prince, he can ill afford to be embarrassed by the company he keeps.”

“Gotcha, no scaring the noblemen,” Sonic(1) said flippantly as he took the invitation and got out of the chair. Once he was clear of the room, the hedgehog breathed a sigh of relief that he’d managed survive that little encounter; relief that was tainted by the fact that he was unsure just HOW his bogus cover story had survived.

“I see he bought the story,” came a voice as Sonic(1) noticed the same fox that had delivered the miracle folder to Connery on his behalf suddenly standing next to him. “I hope so, I’m not entirely fond of shaving my beard; it sort of pulls my whole look together and it’s a rather big hassle to re-grow, even with magic.” Sonic(1)’s eyes adjusted to the shadows and he slowly began to recognize the fox that was talking to him.

“Nilrem?”

“I thought you could use a hand,” the fox explained, “so I used some technology from the Perpendicular Universe to allow me to blend in here and offer it.”

“So what’s up?”

“Aside from you; not much. Everything about this universe seems to be running fairly well. Or at least as well as can be expected.”

“That doesn’t sound right. Garivald’s got some new plan to get at Miles, and I don’t like the idea of Tails playing fall guy for whatever he’s got. Plus, if what you said still holds true, we’ve only got a few more hours we can keep this scam running, then Tails gets in real danger.”

“I understand your concern Sonic, and the Zone Cops assure me they’re close to finding where the missing Prince has been… misplaced.”

“And if they can’t find him in time?”

“I have a Plan C.”

“Plan C? Plan C?! What happened to Plan B? Or A for that matter?”

“We couldn’t find Prince Miles before the time freeze wore off, remember. That was Plan A. And Tails is Plan B. So that leaves Plan C.”

“And if that one falls through?” Nilrem looked at Sonic(1) with some concern before he sadly continued.

“Then I’m afraid this reality is a lost cause and I will be forced to retrieve both you and young Tails and allow this universe to be destroyed.” Sonic(1)’s eyes opened wide at that declaration.

“But what about all the people here?”

“Doomed to die I’m afraid,” Merlin’s counterpart said in a defeated tone. “To say nothing of the countless counterparts in all the realities that share resonance with this one. As I told you when we started this, this mission’s failure carries with it some dire consequences. Should we fail the only recourse for the Zone Cops will be to attempt to lessen the damage done to the Multiverse as a whole.”

“Can’t you just… I don’t know, evacuate the people?”

“To where Sonic? It is not as though there is some great refuge for extraneous copies of people to be taken should their universes get destroyed.”

“So you just let them die?”

“I’m afraid it’s more than that, Sonic. The integrity of the myriad realities must be maintained, must be preserved. If this reality, and its accompanying satellites, is destroyed, Prince Miles cannot be allowed to continue existing.” Before Nilrem could react, Sonic(1) was on him, shoving him into a wall.

“Don’t you dare tell me you just said what I think you just said. We’ve been helping you guys to try and save lives, not give you reason to go exterminate them.”

“And that’s what we want… but the fact remains, an out of place version of Miles Prower cannot be allowed to exist. Where would he go, what would he do?”

“Place him where Tails doesn’t exist,” the hedgehog suggested.

“Oh that’s nice, surround the boy with exact copies of the friends he had all his life but that have no idea who he is. I don’t think I can come up with anything crueler to do to him.”

“Give him to me. Place him on Mobius Prime.”

“You and the Sonic of this reality have been wonderful trying to divide Tails’s attention between the two of you, I can only imagine to what lengths Tails and Miles would go to prove one or the other is your ‘favorite.’” Defeated, Sonic(1) loosened his grip on the elder fox, who put a comforting hand on the hedgehog’s shoulder. “I understand you don’t like this. I understand it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. If it’s any consolation, you are not alone. Several Zone Cops, Zonic included, are working themselves to the bone to stop this scenario from happening. But the fact remains,” Nilrem knelt so he could look Sonic(1) in the eyes, “if this reality becomes unsalvageable, to protect the Multiverse from contamination, we will eradicate every last trace of this reality, including Prince Miles if we find him after the fact.” With that, Nilrem stood and began to walk away, stopping only to turn his head back to the hedgehog and say one last thing. “In any event, be prepared to leave the moment the crown touches Tails’s head.”


	15. Rite of Ascension

The Grand Hall of Castle Acorn had been transformed. When Sonic(1) had been younger, before the coup, his King Acorn had declared a celebration in honor of the cessation of hostilities with the Overlanders. Since his own Uncle Chuck had played no small part in the Mobians’ success, and because he was personal friends to Princess Sally herself, Sonic(1) had been allowed to attend the ball that had been thrown at the castle. Then he had been amazed at how the castle that had remained so dreary and depressed as the war had raged on had been transformed into a show of light and color. As he stared at the decorations that had been set up for Miles’s Ascension ceremony, he couldn’t help but feel the same sense of awe.

“Hey Shadow, shouldn’t you be getting ready?” a rat holding a banner asked him. Somewhat startled someone had managed to sneak up on him, Sonic(1) jumped a bit before answering.

“I guess I should,” Sonic(1), who had been helping to decorate the large room for the party, said. “It’d probably be a bad thing to show up sweatin’ like a pig.”

“Hey,” a Mobian pig said as he overheard the comment.

“Sorry,” Sonic(1) said sheepishly as he began to leave, almost bumping into a figure clad completely from head to toe in white robes. “Oh, pardon…”

“Lord Angstrom! What an honor to see you. Please accept our humblest apologies on Shadow’s behalf for almost knocking you over,” the rat said as he suddenly grabbed the black hedgehog’s head and forced him to his knees, an action that was mimicked by everyone else in the room. Even with a hand on his head, Sonic(1) managed to get his eyes up to look at Angstrom. So covered by robes was the Mobian that Sonic(1) couldn’t even tell what animal he was, yet obviously he was someone of import as evidenced by the reaction of the janitorial staff as well as the quality of the robes he wore. For a few brief moments, Lord Angstrom seemed to stare into the room, as though he had lost his way. If he needed any help, however, he didn’t voice a request and soon disappeared back out of the hall. 

“Who was that?” Sonic(1) asked as the Mobian left.

“You’re telling me you don’t know who Angstrom is?” the rat Mobian asked incredulously. “Brother Shadow you really are from the sticks of Angel Island if you don’t know who Lord Angstrom is.”

“I couldn’t even tell WHAT he is,” the black hedgehog admitted.

“He’s the guy in charge of guarding and caring for the Crown of Acorns when King Maximillian doesn’t need it. He’s one of the most important people who are gonna be at the ceremony.”

“And he always wears a full body robe, hat, and mask?”

“Well, the story goes is that Angstrom’s a title too. The original King Acorn wanted to make the position totally secretive, sorta to discourage thieves. After all, if it’s unknown who the current Angstrom is, thieves don’t really know what kind of measures he’ll take to protect the Crown.”

“So nobody knows who he is?”

“No one except King Max… and maybe Prince Miles if he succeeds at becoming Crown Prince.”

“That is not entirely true Sonic,” the voice of N.I.K.O.L.E. whispered in the hedgehog’s ear via the link Nilrem had given him before sending him to this Mobius. “Since I monitor all realities, it is entirely possible that somewhere in my databanks exists the record of who the current Lord Angstrom is. Would you like me to find out for you?”

“Nah, not really. I mean it’s not like he’s gonna be a threat to us is he?”

“Improbable,” was all N.I.K.O.L.E. said. Sonic(1) left the others to their business in the Grand Hall so that he could prepare for the party. 

*************************

“Oh my Prince, you look so handsome,” Rosie said as she marveled at the two-tailed fox in his finest. Though the outfit was modeled on the one the Prince normally wore, even Tails, not used to being adorned in cloth, could tell they were of exceptional quality. The jacket was mainly navy blue with red and gold cloth used to color the collar and cuffs. The front buttons were each made of gold holding a small diamond in the center, while the buttons on the cuffs held small rubies. The breast pocket was adorned with the royal crest of “his” house, the same crest that was very lightly outlined on the back of his new white gloves. On Tails’s shoulders, etched in the same gold thread that had been used for the collar were the outlines of a crown, below which hung several golden tassels that went all the way down to his elbows. His normal running shoes had been replaced with black dress shoes that had been stamped with the royal crest as well. His head fur, for the most part, had been fought and bullied into lying flat on his head, held in place by his own princely crown. Thanks to the bath Rosie had given him the previous night, a somewhat embarrassing situation he’d unsuccessfully insisted he was far too old for, his coat was much brighter and softer than it normally was. The overall effect made him look somewhat alien to his own eyes.

~Here’s hoping the Prince makes it back soon so I can get out of this. It’s like wearing someone else’s skin,~ Tails thought to himself, though outwardly he smiled in pleased contentment for the native Rosie’s benefit. She had, after all, done a good job of turning a fox with zero training in courtly manners into something of a respectable approximation of a prince.

Suddenly, a knock came to Miles’s bedroom door before it was opened by a canine member of the palace guard.

“Prince Miles, you have a guest.”

“Greetings Prince Miles,” came a quiet and respectful voice as a familiar-looking rabbit girl entered the room. Gone were Cream’s familiar red dress and ear ribbons, replaced by a light pink and blue gown and flowers in her ears. Her normal gloves had been replaced with ones that went up most of her forearms while two small fabric roses adorned the tops of her shoes. Around her neck she wore a golden, oval shaped locket with an etching of her own family’s crest on it, a gift from the royal family, and more specifically intended from Miles, to her for her birthday. Slowly she walked into the room, a tad unsteadily given her elevated position on her dress shoes.

“Oh Cream, you look lovely,” Rosie said as she surveyed the young rabbit. Cream smiled at the complement.

“Thank you Ms. Rosie,” the rabbit said, bowing before the elder Mobian before turning to Tails. “Oh Miles, you look so dashing.” Under his fur, the fox-boy blushed.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Tails said. “But what are you doing up here so soon? I thought you’d be in the Grand Hall with the other guests.”

“Miles, you and Lady Cream are betrothed to each other. It would be unseemly for her to enter the party without you,” Rosie chided. “Now then, stand side by side so I can get a look at the both of you together.” The two children obeyed, both standing as straight as possible as Rosie fixed a few minor details that had gotten out of place on the both of them. “You’re ready.”

“And in good time too,” said Julayla as the cat entered the room, wearing her own finery in the form of a light green dress and her hair up. “You’ve done an excellent job, sister,” she commented to Rosie.

“Thank you Julayla. I suppose it’s time?”

“We will be heading down to the Grand Hall now to await announcement. When the herald announces your names, you will enter together, arm in arm.”

“Wait, isn’t Rosie coming too?” Tails asked, not willing to leave the beaver to her own devices for the night.

“Of course I’m coming, but I can’t very well attend such an important party wearing this old thing. I have to go get changed as well. I trust you two can behave for my sister?”

“Yes ma’am,” the pair said in unison.

“And remember, when you enter don’t try to sequester yourself with your friends,” the cat admonished. “Circulate and make a good impression on everyone. Cream, any help you can offer Miles to sway those who are still undecided would be wonderful. We have a majority, but a unanimous decision would go a long way to smoothing over any potential problems down the road.”

“Yes ma’am.” Giving one final inspection of her two charges, Julayla opened the door and the three walked out. Tails’s was severely tempted to stop along the way to look at opulent decorations that had been hung up, but a light tug from Cream was enough to keep the flying fox moving. He did, however, keep his eyes peeled for Garivald, hoping to catch whatever the badger’s plan before he could enact it.

“We’re here,” Julayla said as they arrived at the entrance to the Grand Hall. The cat turned back to the two children, dusting off some errant fur that fallen on Tails’s jacket. “Now remember, not before the herald announces you.”

“I know,” Tails said. Julayla gave her “Prince” a quick kiss on the cheek before departing. As soon as she was gone, Cream crept up to the entryway which had been draped in a heavy curtain and peeked out.

“Cream what are you doing?”

“Looking at all the people,” she said matter-of-factly. “Oh, there’s Mother and Mr. Vector.”

“Really?” Tails asked as he joined “his” fiancé at the crack in the curtain. Sure enough, Mrs. Rabbit was moving around the room with none other than Vector the Crocodile, sans his characteristic headphones. The croc seemed to be enjoying himself as he talked with other guests, holding onto Vanilla as though she was a delicate flower, or in his case, a fragile CD. A quick scan of the party revealed both Sonic(2) and Shadow standing near each other with Amy in the middle, torn between her current beau and the intriguing black hedgehog he’d apparently struck up a friendship with. Tails could not help but stifle a snicker. Antoine was with the rest of the royal kiddie clique, taking to the scene as a fish did to water. Though Tails had a personal distaste for most of the group, it was somewhat heartening to see that they all seemed to be on the side that supported Miles. Hopefully that would mean they wouldn’t stir up any trouble. Of course, the young fox found his eyes drawn to the room’s largest occupant, Viscount Valnin who had discarded his ruby colored robes for one of topaz and emerald done in a harlequin fashion. The gigantic panda was busy talking up a coyote dressed in the attire of a general, obviously General D’Coolette. The coyote general was clearly having a good time with the panda, but he wisely stayed out of the overly affectionate Mobian’s grasp. Not the easiest thing to do, Tails observed, in a crowded room of people. And there, talking to current members of the court, no doubt attempting rally some more support for their son, were King and Queen Acorn.

For the first time, Tails felt real nervousness well up inside of him. This was not his element; this was not his area of expertise. He was used to staying out of the limelight and letting others judge him based on the work he accomplished. He was very well aware that he didn’t look particularly impressive. He was young, somewhat scrawny, and his social skills abruptly stopped where everyone else’s knowledge of aerodynamics did. True the cute factor often worked for him when he needed to get something he wanted, but this was most definitely not an occasion where cute and cuddly would work. As it occurred to him just how much damage a mistake could do, doubt began to surface in the back of his mind. What if he did make a mistake? What if he hadn’t prepared enough for this? How much damage would running away from this event cause versus the damage caused by said mistake? 

“Miles?” a soft voice asked. Tails turned his head to see Cream now staring at him directly rather than out into the crowd. “Are you nervous?” His mouth bone dry, Tails could only nod pathetically. “Don’t worry, you’ll do wonderfully. Everyone will love you, I just know it. And if they don’t, it just proves they’re idiots.” Tails’s eyes widened. From his impressions of Cream, insults did not easily fall from her lips, and that she had made such a harsh condemnation of Miles’s detractors said something. The two tailed fox was snapped out of his musings as the sound of trumpets blaring fell somewhat harshly on his ears.

“Nobles and Honored Guests,” began the castle herald, “it is my privilege and pleasure to announce the arrival of Prince Miles Elias Prower of the House of Acorn and his escort and fiancé, Ms. Cream Michelle Lapis, Daughter of the Dutchess Vanilla Lapis.” Cream grabbed Tails’s arm and together they began to walk forward as the curtain was pulled open for them. With careful and precise steps the two moved in unison down the stairs, Tails’s two namesakes moving separately behind him so as to allow them to receive notice. Thought had been given to him working to hide what could easily be seen as a deformity for the sake of conformity, but it had been Maxmillian who had killed that idea on the grounds that, since everyone already knew about the second tail, to hide it would be tantamount to admitting someone was ashamed of it. And after all, Miles was already a radically different heir to the throne than any that came before him.

“‘Honored Lords and Ladies…” Tails began as he reached the bottom of the stairs with Cream. “It is from the bottom of my heart that I thank you for journeying far and wide to attend my Rite of Ascension. I, Prince Miles Elias Prower, first son of King Maximillian Alexander the First of the House of Acorn, am deeply honored by the support I have received as I await judgment on my claim to the throne. Should the Source of All grant me its favor, I will be the shield that protects my people from harm, and the sword that strikes their enemies down. My laws shall be fair and just, my punishments swift yet merciful.’”

********************************

As Tails stood before the assembled giving his speech, Sonic(1) surveyed the crowd, trying to gauge its reactions to the young “Prince’s” speech. Near him, this reality’s Amy Rose was standing with her own Sonic, though she every so often cast a shy glance his way. Sonic(1) was doing everything in his power to discourage any sort of vibes she might be getting from him, both for the sake of peace as well as his own personal health. The last thing he needed was for the pink hedgehog’s natural attraction to him to cause a scene on Miles’s big day. 

His eyes locked on Garivald standing so near the King. If the badger was going to assassinate Maxmillian, he’d picked an awfully poor spot to be, which sort of gave weight to the idea that he had an accomplice.

~Arachne’s good, but there’s no question she’s better at hand to hand than distance, and I somehow doubt she’ll want all the attention that comes with regicide,~ Sonic(1) thought. ~No, Gari’s gonna use someone else to do the deed. Someone either confident enough that they can get the job done and get away, or stupid enough to believe they can get outta bein’ punished for it.~ Absentmindedly the black painted hedgehog began clapping as everyone else did, stopping as he heard Tails continue with his speech.

“Hey,” Sonic(1) whispered to his still blue counterpart, “I’m gonna scope out some of the guests, see if I can’t find out where Garivald’s going to strike.” Sonic(2) nodded slightly, his attention divided more heavily between the counterfeit prince and his date. Carefully the black hedgehog moved through the crowd. Sir Connery and several guardsmen had made themselves quite conspicuous, as had a few of the Secret Service, but Sonic(1) couldn’t help but think they weren’t enough. Soon he spotted the Puffin King, Donalito, standing amongst a markedly small crowd of nobles; obviously those opposed the Prince Miles’s ascension. 

~Could Garivald be using one of them? They’d certainly have the egos to think they could get away with killing the King in front of all these people.~ Sonic(1) discounted this thought. It was unlikely that Connery would be foolish enough to allow anyone into the Grand Hall with any sort of weapon that could kill from a distance, which was precisely what they’d need given the zone of avoidance Donalito and his cronies were being given. Apparently, even those they might have swayed today were tired of all their harping.

More clapping came from the assembled guests as Tails completed his speech, giving a short bow before he began walking into the crowd. Antoine soon intercepted the pair, offering his own elbow to the rabbit as she was separated from Tails, a sign that they were seriously running out of time. Sonic(1) had already come up with a plan to hopefully stall the coronation if need be, an impromptu kidnapping by the “traitorous” Shadow Vidmar. With any luck he’d even be able to implicate Garivald in the whole matter before it got resolved.

**********************

Sonic(2) smiled as he and Amy Rose clapped at the end of the royal speech. Though a part of him was disappointed that it was not the real Prince Miles who was making the speech, most of him was happy the day was going off without a hitch. Maybe the other Sonic had been wrong and Garivald had really given up, realized taking over the kingdom was hopeless, and was even now making plans to leave the country before Prince Miles could implicate him for all his crimes. The badger was certainly scowling enough to be someone who now had to watch as all his grandiose plans crumbled to dust.

Sonic(2) watched as Tails gave Cream to Antoine, his quills quivering. The two aliens had told him that while Tails could fool Mobians into believing he was Prince Miles, the Source of All in the Crown of Acorns would recognize the deception immediately. What he might be able to do to prevent that eluded him at the moment though. 

“Amy, things might start getting a little radical around here soon, so I’m gonna need you to trust me,” he said to his pink girlfriend.

“What do you mean Sonic, everything looks perfect?” Amy asked her blue beau. “Miles will soon be the Crown Prince and then you’ll be a knight and then everything will be fine. What could possibly go wrong?”

“I… can’t really explain right now. I just might need you to trust me more than anything else though, no matter what happens.”

“Oh Sonic, I’ll always trust you, you know that.” The two hedgehogs watched as Tails and King Max met each other at the foot of the short staircase that led up to the throne. Since the throne room had been determined to be too small to accommodate all the guests who had been invited, a raised platform had been installed in the Grand Hall and the throne temporarily moved there. The two royals moved up the stairs, Acorn’s hand gently brushing against “his son’s” back in a gesture of support as he did so. At the top, King Max stood passively by the throne while Tails jumped and sat down on the tall chair, his feet dangling somewhat comically over the side. The poor kid looked like he was so nervous he could throw up.

Sonic(2) felt it as the crowd began to part around him, and he and Amy moved to the side at once as the robed form of Lord Angstrom moved towards the throne, the Crown of Acorns resting on a pillow in his gloved hands. Four guards formed a barrier around the crown’s guardian, though what they were protecting him from anyone could guess. As the robed figure passed, Sonic(2) thought he could hear the steady rhythm of wood striking stone even as a musky stench reached his nose that seemed only barely able to be covered by the strong perfume that hung in the air. Shaking his head, the hedgehog pushed these observations to the back of his mind. No one knew what Lord Angstrom was, save for the King. Who was he to find such things weird about a person the hedgehog had never met?

Silently Angstrom made his way up to the throne and kneeled before his king, offering the crown to the squirrel monarch as his honor guard formed a barrier between the stairs and the crowd. Elegantly, King Acorn took the crown, lifting it high above his head for all to see. The golden headgear shone brightly under the lights that spilled down in the Grand Hall, bouncing off the gems encrusted on its surface. Turning to Tails, the monarch centered the crown over the boy’s head, preparing to lower it. For the moment, all was forgotten as Sonic(2) prepared to witness the an event he’d been waiting most of his life to see. His trance was broken, however, as he heard the tell-tale sound of a bow string snapping forward and the low whistling sound of an arrow flying through the air.

***********************

Tails felt like he was going to puke as he sat upon the throne that had supported some of the greatest leaders in Mobian history and stared out amongst the assembled. Every set of eyes seemed like they were judging him, and the fact that that was indeed the case only served to make the kit more nervous. 

Movement amongst the crowd got his attention as he noticed a weird creature dressed from head to toe in white robes and carrying the Crown of Acorns on a pillow, Lord Angstrom obviously. The shrouded mobian made his way up to the throne, offering the artifact to King Max once he did so. Tails continued to face forward, but his eyes were darting all around the room as he searched for someway, anyway out of this predicament. Suddenly, his eyes caught a black blur racing toward a wall and in curiosity he turned his head just in time to see Sonic(1) slam into the form of Geofferey St. John. The fox had been wondering what the skunk had been up to that had kept him from being seen this entire day. As Tails watched a bolt fly forth from St. John’s wrist mounted crossbow, he had a sickening feeling what it was.

*************************

Sonic(1) continued to survey the crowd, intent on figuring out who Garivald’s accomplice was. As he moved through the guests, he suddenly found himself knocked to the floor as someone pushed roughly past him, making his way towards the outskirts of the audience. The big black tail with a white stripe down its center immediately identified the individual as Geofferey St. John, and the skunk definitely seemed to be in something of a hurry. That was when the undercover hedgehog noticed St. John’s right hand. He was wearing his wrist-mounted crossbow… and it was loaded. 

Sonic(1)’s mind began to race at high speed as he considered the implications of this. Geofferey St. John had lost both his position and a great deal of prestige because of the events surrounding the ascension. Was it possible that all this had been enough to drive the skunk over the edge and to the point where he’d actually betray the King he’d so often sworn to protect? Immediately, the black hedgehog put aside that thought. Geofferey may have been a pompous and arrogant jerk with absolutely no sense of camaraderie, but he was loyal and stayed true to his oaths. Still Sonic(1) couldn’t help but think something had to be up.

Suddenly, St. John’s eyes went wide as he looked up at the throne. Sonic(1) followed his line of sight in time to see King Max holding the Crown of Acorns over Tails’s head. Whatever plot Garivald was planning to unleash would have to wait as the highspeed hedgehog prepared to try his hand at kidnapping. Out of the corner of his eye he saw St. John move, his weapon arm raising as he took aim… right at the King.

~That dirty traitor,~ Sonic(1) thought as he turned his body dashed forwards at top speed, barreling straight at the skunk. 

“I don’t think so you wretch,” Sonic(1) heard St. John say as he finished sighting his weapon.

“No you don’t skunk-boy,” the hedgehog yelled, slamming his body into Geofferey’s. This proved to be too little and too late, however, as the deadly bolt had already been sent flying.


	16. A Traitor Revealed

Tails watched as the bolt sailed through the air, his mind already connecting what its intended target had to be. Bouncing quickly on the throne to get enough height to jam his legs under him, the young Freedom Fighter leapt full force off of his perch.

“Get down!” Tails commanded as he slammed into the King, forcing him to drop the Crown of Acorns as the deadly bolt sailed by. Startled by his “son’s” sudden movement, King Acorn could do nothing as he was brought to the ground, only just registering the attack as it missed his head. The pair tumbled into Lord Angstrom as the robe-clad Mobian was unable to get out of the way.

“You filthy traitor!” Sonic(1) yelled as he punched St. John squarely in the face. Geofferey, however, knew how to take a punch and quickly recovered to grab the hedgehog’s still outstretched hand.

“Out of the way you stupid hedgehog,” Geofferey commanded as he jerked Sonic(1) toward him and into a vicious punch to the gut. Thinking he’d disposed of the hedgehog, the skunk began to reload his weapon right in front of the stunned crowd, only to find Sonic(2), who had used his own speed and agility to maneuver through the crowd, tackling him from the back. “Let me GO! He’s going to get away!”

“Yeah, it’d be just a real shame if you couldn’t kill Max, wouldn’t it you stinkin’ jerk,” Sonic(2) said sarcastically. As if to add insult to injury, the black hedgehog joined his blue counterpart by grabbing the Commander by his legs.

“For once in your life hedgehog, would you just shut your mouth, open your eyes, and look at the CROWN!?” St. John yelled in frustration. Hesitant due to mistrust, Sonic(2) nevertheless decided to follow Geofferey’s advice. He looked up at the platform, and his eyes widened at what he saw. When King Max had released his hold on the royal crown, the artifact had, quite predictably, fallen to the floor of the platform. Upon contact with the stone used to make the platform, the golden symbol of authority had done the unthinkable, it had broken. Inside, Sonic(2) could see electricity sparkling from exposed wires and damaged circuits that would not have been present had the object he’d been looking at been the real Crown of Acorns.

“What the…?”

“Get off of me before Fang gets away!” Geofferey once again commanded.

“Fang? Where’s Fang?”

“Take a wild guess!” From where he lay in a crumpled heap, Tails didn’t need to as he spotted “Lord Angstrom” desperately trying to wiggle out of his robes… and off of the ruined stilts he’d apparently been using to make himself appear taller. Quickly the fox boy grabbed the white robes, hoping to further tangle the mercenary in his own disguise. This proved a futile gesture though, as Fang finally managed to tumble out and down the stairs, landing on his feet as he smiled nastily at the assembled guests. Royal guardsmen appeared from out of the crowd pointing weapons at the rogue and saying different variation of the traditional command to freeze.

“Fang the Sniper, by the authority of the Crown you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason against said Crown… Isn’t that RIGHT Garivald?!” Without the two hedgehog’s impeding his movement, St. John had reloaded his crossbow in record time and was now pointing it, not at the purple weasel, but at the King’s Royal Advisor.

“How dare you, St. John! What is the meaning of this?” Garivald asked in his most indignant voice.

“Drop the innocent act Stripy, I know all about how you hired Fang to impersonate Lord Angstrom and place a false Crown of Acorns on Prince Miles’s head. That crown would have denied the Prince’s right to rule, than you would have ‘innocently’ reminded everyone that you’re the next in line for the throne.”

“This sounds suspiciously like one of Squire Sonic’s little conspiracy theories if you ask me,” Garivald snidely said. “Are you sure you simply haven’t been ‘hanging out’ with that cracked hedgehog too much? What proof do you have to support this far-fetched claim?” Geofferey laughed his best derisive laugh, a laugh that Sonic(1) had often heard directed at himself whenever the skunk caught him dead to rights doing something he shouldn’t have been.

“Anyone who knows me knows I can’t stand that blue buffoon, let alone would I ever ‘hang out’ with him. And as to proof,” reaching into a pocket, Geofferey pulled forth a small cube, “I think you should have told Fang to be more careful with these instructions you gave him when you met up with him. I’m sure the voice print on this module will prove a perfect match for a certain soon-to-be jailed FORMER Royal Advisor and his former crony.”

“See that’s where I gotta disagree with you right there Skunky Brewster,” Fang said as he suddenly joined in the conversation. Without warning the wicked weasel reached down into his belt and pulled forth a spheroid object, lobbing it at the King and Prince. Acting on instinct, St. John switched his target from Garivald to the bomb now threatening his liege. The arrow flew and intercepted the grenade, causing it to detonate over everyone’s heads. Unfortunately this provided all the time Fang needed to begin to make his escape through the now panicking crowd. Garivald too sensed the proverbial jig was up and began to make his exit.

“Freeze, you’re under arrest!” barked a nearby guardsman as he pointed his laser rifle at Fang, who immediately raised his hands.

“Please, please don’t fire,” Fang began before he suddenly reached behind his back and drew his own laser rifle on the stunned guard. “Let me do the firing!” Pulling the trigger, the weasel let fly with several laser-bolts, aiming not just at the guard, but at the crowd around him, further escalating the sense of panic.

“We’ve got to do something,” Sonic(2) said as he watched the desperate weasel create his own stampede.

“I don’t suppose you two amateurs would be opposed to actually being useful for once, would you?” asked Geofferey.

“Less opposed than you would be to not being a jerk,” Sonic(1) intoned. 

“Then stop that weasel from shooting up the place,” Geofferey commanded. Glancing at each other, the hedgehog duo made a silent plan between themselves before taking off at high speed and leaving St. John in the dust. Fang was laughing maniacally as he ran through the frightened crowd, occasionally squeezing off a shot or two to keep the chaos up. Suddenly he found himself tumbling head over heels through the air after he was tripped up by a blue leg. Fang twisted his body in the air, righting himself and landing squarely on his quickly coiled tail. With a resounding springing sound, Fang was airborne again, this time heading towards Sonic(2) as he tossed another pair of grenades. A small black tornado quickly appeared to send the two grenades flying back at their thrower.

“Ah man, there’re two ah yah now?” Fang whined as he scrambled to avoid the blasts. 

“Yeah, and that means you’re not just outclassed, you’re outnumbered,” Sonic(1) said.

***********************

 

As the two hedgehogs were busy dealing with Fang, Tails had his own problems to deal with. He’d spotted Garivald trying to flee and, with everyone so preoccupied with a certain weasel’s antics, realized the badger stood a very good chance of getting away if someone didn’t act.

“I’ve got to stop him,” Tails said in a determined voice as he began descending the stairs. He was stopped as a hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Miles, you must stay here where it is safe,” King Max commanded, grabbing hold of the fox he believed was his son. “Sir Connery and the guards will apprehend that treacherous badger.”

“They’re too busy trying to get the crowd back under control and Garivald’s getting away. If he’s able to go to ground, we may never be rid of him,” Tails explained. “I’m sorry ‘Father,’ but he has to be stopped.” Breaking free of the King’s grip, Tails sped down the platform steps to the floor, hoping to intercept Garivald before he made it to one of the exits. As it happened, the Royal Advisor was having a few problems. Being a badger, and automatically big for a Mobian, Garivald found himself sticking out amongst a panicked crowd that his bulky frame was having some difficulty maneuvering through.

~Blast that selfish weasel. I’ll boil him alive for this if I get my hands on him,~ Garivald’s frantic mind thought as he tried to figure out his next move. Obviously his position of trust in the King’s Court had been severely compromised, and he doubted he’d ever be able to repair his reputation. ~That skunk cost me a clear shot at the throne… I’ll make him pay as well. If those fools think this is the end, they’ve another think com…~

“Stop right there traitor!” Tails cried as he wiggled his way through the crowd to only a few feet in front of Garivald. “You’re finally going to pay for your crimes against the kingdom.”

“‘Prince’ Miles,” the badger said with a frightening smile designed to show off his many sharp teeth. “I was actually hoping I’d run into you before I left.”

“By the authority of the Kingdom of Acorn, I hereby place you under arrest,” Tails called as he pointed his finger at the badger; a tough, confident look on his face. Unfortunately, this did not impress the former Lord Garivald as he let out a loud guffaw at the kit’s pronouncement. 

“You possess no authority over me, filthy little urchin. You are merely the false hope of a thrice-cursed fool.”

“I’m not the one who’s going to have the whole Kingdom howling for my blood while I rot away in a prison cell,” Tails retorted. “There’s no way out of this, Chopperface, I’m not gonna let you escape.”

“Ah, but you seem to forget my miniscule monarch-to-be, I am never alone in my endeavors,” Garviald said before yelling, “ARACHNIS!” A thick strand of white webbing suddenly attached itself to the badger’s back. Quickly, the concealed spider-ninja began to pull her master up to her and out of harm’s way. “A pity you can’t fly, isn’t it pipsqueak?” Garivald asked in a mocking voice as he was towed to safety. Angry at the insults, Tails didn’t even think as he ran back through the crowd to one of the walls. Before their little adventure, Sonic(1) had been teaching his two-tailed friend how to do the triangle jump, a feat Tails was now going to execute as he leapt for a bare portion of the wall. Jumping off from the wall, the little fox moved further up by leaping onto the shoulder of a large suit of ceremonial armor being used for decoration. With a third leap Tails grabbed two handfuls of cloth as he landed on one of the banners that had been hung from the ceiling. Turning his head to see Garivald was still ascending to safety, the kitsune took one final leap directly at him, his tails twisting up as he did so. Garivald, too caught up in his own escape, did not realize his peril until it was upon him. He only noticed the kit as Tails’s tails suddenly snapped open again in a familiar spinning fashion to drastically accelerate the small body forward.

“Don’t you wish YOU could fly?” Tails growled as he slammed into the badger with enough force to yank Uma Arachnis from her perch. The three mobians came crashing to the ground in a heap. As the dust settled, Tails rubbed head as he stood up. “Man, I’m taking way too many hits to the head.”

“Then one more shouldn’t hurt,” Garivald said as his fist connected with the boy’s jaw in a viscous punch and sent him flying a few feet to land on his belly. Both badger and spider got to their feet smoothly, neither one looking particularly happy with the foxy ‘Prince.’ “Arachnis, do me the favor of finally ridding me of this bothersome pest.” 

“It’s about time.” The spider-ninja drew two of her sai and slowly advanced on Tails as he pulled himself to his feet. That was when both Garivald and Arachnis were quite surprised to hear a low, threatening growling sound emanating from the fox cub. His whole body quivered as he bore a set of sharp pointed teeth that looked suspiciously like they were made of steel. His eyes, formerly hidden by his once again messy bangs, had changed quite drastically. Gone were the gentle blue orbs Garivald had come to associate with childish naiveté, replaced now by a deadly red glow that bespoke of barely controlled rage and hatred. Even his fur seemed to be taking on an eerie silver look to it. The normally unflappable spider-ninja found herself taking an involuntary step or two back as she observed the kit. His muscles twitched as though only barely being kept still, as though the slightest wrong move from her would cause the kit to attack. Claws she had thought the young Prince did not possess suddenly seemed quite evident under the white gloves he wore, and Arachnis thought she could detect the faint scent of metal hanging about him.

Over the course of her long career as both an assassin and a mercenary, Uma Arachnis had learned to listen to her senses, both the physical ones and the instinctive ones. Fear in particular was something she paid close attention to as its appearance often counseled her to withdraw from an area to seek a more advantageous battleground. Never before had her instincts told her so strenuously to leave and make sure to never find herself in this predicament again.

Just as suddenly as it started, the growling ended as Tails suddenly fell to one knee, one of his hands, now it’s normal, declawed shape, reached up and gripped his forehead as he moaned like a drunk just waking from a stupor. His eyes no longer held their malevolent red glow and the waves of power and anger that had literally been cascading off of him dissipated as though they had never been. Slowly, groggily, the kit began to rise to his feet once more.

Seeing that her prey was recovering, albeit slowly, Arachnis once more charged, her weapons held high as she prepared to strike. With a cold look she brought the two pointed ends of her sai down in what would be an impaling strike, only to be surprised as the metal weapons themselves struck metal.

“Knuckles?” Tails asked as his vision cleared enough to see a red figure standing over him, the silver platter in his hands punctured by the two sai he’d just blocked with it.

“You looked like you could use a hand,” the echidna stated nonchalantly as he threw the platter to the side, wrenching the two weapons from the spider’s grasp at the same time. Immediately Arachnis drew her katana and nunchuks from her harness. Neither of those weapons did her any good, however, as Knuckles, taking advantage of the still somewhat overwhelmed spider, delivered a flying tackle that knocked both her weapons from her hands and herself to the ground.

“Lights out creepy,” Knuckles proclaimed as he delivered a final blow to Arachnis’s face and knocked her out.

“Woah, that was cool, I can’t believe I was worried,” Tails said, finally vertical again.

“She’s good, but all that ninja stuff doesn’t mean anything if I won’t give her the space to use it,” Knuckles declared as he crossed his arms in triumph. Not but ten feet away, Garivald was suddenly feeling very vulnerable as he witnessed his last line of defense unexpectedly crumble before him. Quickly he turned his back and once more attempted to sneak away before someone realized he was still present, though this time he chose to do it at a faster pace than before. He got no more than twenty feet before he slammed into a big, green, yellow, black and white obstacle.

“Valnin,” Garivald managed to squeak out as he stared up… and up and up and up at the massive Mobian who grinned over him.

“Garviald, surely you are not leaving before I’ve had a chance to say hello,” the panda said as his beefy arms encircled the smaller badger’s body in a fearsome hug. Unlike the shows of affection the overly friendly Valnin had given Tails, King Max, and indeed most of the Mobians with the sometimes dubious fortune of being his friends, this hug truly deserved the title bear. Garivald screamed as he body was crushed mercilessly in the powerful panda’s grip, even going so far as to attempt to bite into the Viscount’s shoulders in an effort to obtain release. Sadly, for the former advisor at least, his teeth proved inadequate to get through the superior fabric of Valnin’s robe, much less the thick hide of the panda noble. Finally, Garivald ceased his squirming as he lost consciousness from lack of air, prompting the Viscount to release him and allow him to drop roughly to the ground.

“What a shame,” Valnin said as he turned to Tails with a contented smile on his face, “he did not even stay awake long enough to witness your coronation my Prince.”

***************************

Meanwhile, Geofferey and the two Sonics were continuing to have trouble with a trigger-happy Fang the Sniper. Every time the trio attempted to advance and apprehend the purple weasel, he let fly with more laser fire and the odd grenade.

“Doesn’t this guy ever run outta ammo?” Sonic(1) quipped.

“We have to end this and get to Garivald,” Geofferey said. “I can stop his grenades and keep them from blowing up in our faces; that leaves his gun.” Sonic(2) sped over to the wall and yanked one of the decorative swords away from a shield depicting the Acorn Family Coat of Arms.

“I can handle that gun, think you’re up to offering a distraction Shadow?”

“Up and all over it, bro,” Sonic(1) said as he leapt forward, avoiding the resulting laserfire. 

“I’m gonna put more holes in you than Swiss cheese you rodent,” Fang intoned as Sonic(1) transformed into a black blur that began to encircle him.

“I don’t think so you loony weasel,” Sonic(1) said as he went faster and began to form a tornado around his terrified target. Desperate now, and unable to get a lock on his spiky adversary, Fang pulled three more grenades from his belt, tossing them in the hedgehog’s path. Immediately three crossbow bolts flew and struck each grenade mid-flight, sending them all back at the weasel. With reflexes honed from years of experience, Fang fell backwards onto his tail, allowing the powerful appendage to propel him into the air and out of danger… or so he thought.

“Incoming!” Sonic(2) cried as he shot straight for Fang with his sword ready to strike. Unable to change his course, Fang did the only thing he could do and brought his gun forward to act as a shield. Though the sword was blunt, it had after all been only a decoration, its weight combined with Sonic(2)’s skill and speed allowed it to strike the relatively delicate laser rifle with savage force. Sparks began to pop out of the damaged weapon as Fang’s eyes widened in realization that the gun he was holding was now going to explode in his hands. Quickly he threw the weapon away just in time to avoid being blown to pieces. He was, however, caught by the force of the explosion which sent him sailing back against the wall with a hard smack. Dazed, Fang shook his head trying to clear some of the cobwebs from his brain to stand up.

“Not another move weasel,” Geofferey said, aiming his crossbow right at the weasel’s heart. “In this case, dead is just as good as alive for you.”

“Ah nuts,” Fang said as he raised his hands into he air in a sign of surrender.

***********************************

Sonic(1) smiled. He had to, particularly if he wanted to remain in the Grand Hall so he could keep an eye on Tails. Once Garivald, Fang, and Uma Arachnis had been apprehended and stowed away safely in a dungeon, the King had had a chore convincing the guests that it was safe to return to the ceremony. The squirrel monarch had wound up having Sir Connery round up as many of the guards who had been given the day off as possible to bolster the defenses, and they had been given very strict orders to “gently” corral anyone acting suspicious in the least amount. King Acorn was taking no further chances. Nearby, the second Sonic stood next to his girlfriend, a triumphant smile on his face as he shot his prime counterpart a thumbs-up sign. And so, the black hedgehog smiled, even as his stomach was doing somersaults. As far as he was concerned, Garivald’s exposure and capture had not changed anything with regards to the danger this world was in. The universe was still destined to erupt into chaos if the wrong fox ended up wearing the crown. And the wrong fox was currently sitting up on the throne, very nervously watching as the real Lord Angstrom, or at least what the King had assured everyone was the real Angstrom, moved up the steps to the platform, the Crown of Acorns resting comfortably in his hands.

~So now what do I do?~ Sonic(1) thought to himself. The Grand Hall was bristling with armed guards, any one of which wouldn’t hesitate for an instant to mow the young hedgehog down if he made a move on the soon to be “Crown Prince.” From the looks of things, Tails was out of ideas as well, which was a bad sign if Sonic(1) ever saw one. ~Nilrem, if you don’t find the Prince soon we’re gonna have to do some awfully fancy talking to get outta this.~

Once more King Acorn held the crown over the head of the fox he perceived to be his son, a solemn look on his face as he began to lower the royal headgear. Immediately Tails began to shrink back in the throne doing everything in his power to make the trip down to his head as long as possible. Sonic(1)’s eyes surveyed the guards, taking in their positions. All he had to be was fast enough to keep them from getting any sort of lock on him and he’d most likely make it to Tails before the King had time to react. Even if he couldn’t and wound up taking a hit, it would probably take some time for them to cart him off to the dungeons, time Tails would be able to use to think of another stalling tactic. Hedgehog muscles tensed as he prepared to go into action, ready to take off in a burst of speed. His plans were halted, however, as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

“I don’t think that will be necessary Sonic Prime,” came a very familiar voice. Sonic(1) turned to see the helmeted, uniformed body of Zonic the Zone Cop standing behind him, a smile on his face. 

“What in the…?” Sonic(1) looked around to notice that no one appeared to have noticed the perpendicular hedgehog’s appearance. In fact, they didn’t even seem to still be moving at all.

“Time suspension, remember. Its how N.I.K.O.L.E. kept this universe from getting too ahead of us when we first started out,” Zonic intoned. The black painted hedgehog looked back at the throne to see that its platform now held not one fox, but three, two of which had two tails attached to their posteriors.


	17. Hail to the King

Tails was nearly crushing his own organs as he squatted down as far as he could go into the throne, his eyes closed as he anticipated the sudden gasps of astonishment that would follow his rejection at the judgment of the Crown of Acorns. 

“It’s all right Tails, the crisis is over,” the familiar voice of his Uncle Merlin suddenly said. Cautiously opening one eye, Tails found himself staring at Nilrem instead, back to wearing the same costume he’d used to fool both Sonic and himself on Mobius Prime. Next to him, a friendly smile on his face, stood a fox that was almost a complete copy of Tails himself; the real Prince Miles, who stood wearing a pair of white gloves, no shoes, a black jacket, and a rather large medallion around his neck.

“Pardon me good sir, but I believe you are sitting in my seat,” the two tailed fox said in a voice that spoke of a good-humored relief. Careful so as not to touch the crown, which had been stopped only inches above his head, Tails slid off of the throne and stood before the Prince. Immediately Miles began to walk around Tails, looking him over from head to toe.

“What?” Tails asked, suddenly very self-conscious.

“Amazing, simply amazing…” the Prince replied in astonishment. “I must say I wasn’t completely sure when Officer Zonic first told me about you, but this is almost like looking into some sort of three dimensional mirror.” Miles then turned back to Nilrem. “And you say there are more of these counterparts in other universes?”

“An infinite number, your highness, or so the theorists who study the multiverse’s intrinsic nature say,” Nilrem said, “and all with an equal number of variable personalities, traits, and allegiances. Fortunately, this one was available and a good enough Samaritan to agree to take on this somewhat difficult task.” Miles turned back to Tails, suddenly solemn as he bowed at the waist before his doppelganger.

“I thank you for your services, from the bottom of my… umph!”

“YOU’RE BACK!” an elated blue hedgehog said as he suddenly swept up the true Prince in a mad embrace. Behind him, Zonic and Sonic(1) also ascended to the platform’s top.

“It didn’t seem right for him not to share in the moment,” Zonic explained to Nilrem’s quizzical expression. “I mean, he was an awful lot of help during this whole fiasco.”

“True enough, true enough,” Nilrem admitted as Sonic(2) put his best buddy back on the ground. Miles’s attention suddenly drifted to Sonic(1) as he walked over to the black hedgehog.

“Am I to take it that you are the counterpart to my Sonic from my own counterpart’s reality?” Miles asked.

“Yep, couldn’t leave him alone so I decided to tag along.”

“How strange that you would be black,” Miles mused as he took in the familiar but different form before him.

“Black?” Sonic(1) asked before remembering the body paint he’d been wearing for so long. “Oh right this stuff.” Sonic(1) removed one of his shoes, showing that his feet were indeed cobalt blue. “Just a way to keep from being noticed.”

“Then it appears I owe you my deepest thanks as well. Without the two of you, my Kingdom, indeed my entire world would have been lost,” Miles said, bowing once more to both the fox and the hedgehog. “And it appears I once again owe thanks to you as well Sonic,” the royal fox said as he turned back to his friend. “Thanks to your instincts and judgment, these two were helped rather than hindered as they carried on their kind charade.”

“Meh, it wasn’t anything special, big guy, just another day,” Sonic(2) said. Then his eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “By the way, what was it like in the other reality you got sent to?”

“A little weird and more than a little frightening, actually,” Miles admitted. “I wound up on a Mobius where sentience did not develop amongst our kind, only these odd Overlanders with five fingers on each hand. They thought I was some sort of oddity more for my intelligence than my appearance and wanted to study me, but I wound up helping them resolve some difficulties with an alien race that was causing problems called the Xorda. When Zonic found me, they were actually holding a parade in my honor because I helped to end the war between the two.” To emphasize this point, Prince Miles held up the medal he was wearing.

“Ha, only a Prower could pull off being a stranger in a strange land and still be an honored hero,” Tails said. Suddenly, a beeping sound began to emanate from the folds of Nilrem’s robe.

“I hate to break up this touching little get together, but I’m afraid N.I.K.O.L.E. will be unable to keep up the time freeze for much longer. We’ll need to leave in a few moments or we’ll have some rather unpleasant questions to answer.”

“Right. Tails, you’re gonna need to give Miles your clothes. It wouldn’t do for him to appear to suddenly have changed his outfit.” Obediently Tails carefully stripped off the finery he’d worn as Miles did the same, albeit somewhat less enthusiastically than his prime counterpart. For a few brief moments, Miles looked at the medal that had formerly been hanging around his neck, a forlorn expression on his face.

“I suppose I’ll have to give this up with the rest of my new things, won’t I?” he asked sadly as Zonic reached out and took the golden disk.

“I’m sorry your highness, but artifacts from other realities can cause problems, particularly in hub universes,” the perpendicular hedgehog said. “As it stands, we’ll have to retrieve the shoes that were taken from you by your hosts before they cause a problem.”

“Hhhhh, I understand, though it would have made an interesting souvenir of my adventure,” Miles said as he began to wiggle his way into the clothing Tails had previously worn. It proved to be marginally difficult, the young Freedom Fighter really was slimmer in frame than the Monarch-To-Be, but nothing ripped or tore, so a little smoothing out was all it took to make the outfit presentable again.

“Okay, N.I.K.O.L.E. is going to return the flow of time to this reality and Zonic and I will use our field generators to cloak our presence from the crowd so we can make our exit.”

“Guess this is good-bye kid,” Sonic(2) said as he gave Tails a light punch to the shoulder. “For what it’s worth, you were a pretty decent Prince Miles while you were here.”

“Thanks. It was kinda fun seeing what the world was like before… my world’s unpleasantness,” Tails said. “And who knows, maybe we’ll meet again. Sonic’s bad counterparts show up in our reality enough, a good one might be a nice change of pace.”

“Tails, our train’s leaving,” Sonic(1) called from where he stood at the bottom of the platform with Zonic and Nilrem. Tails bounded down the stairs, waving good-bye to his new, yet oddly familiar, friends. Sonic(2) shot a thumbs up to Prince Miles as the young royal took his seat on the throne before returning to the still frozen crowd himself. Already the assembled Mobians were starting to move again as Zonic held up a device that looked oddly like a garage door opener. Pushing its button, a bright door of white light suddenly opened up in the wall in front of them. Sonic(1), Zonic, and Nilrem moved through the portal, with Tails hanging back long enough to hear the sound of the crowd beginning to clap.

“Lords and Ladies, it is now my pleasure to present to you your new Crown Prince; Miles Elias Prower the First!”

**********************************************

“I remember the trip there being somewhat shorter… or at least less time consuming,” Sonic said as Nilrem’s inter-reality ship landed on what the once more blue hedgehog could only assume was Mobius Prime.

“We were in a hurry before, and fuel cells are very expensive, so this time I chose to conserve,” Nilrem explained.

“Giving no thought to the fact that from our friend’s perspective, we’ve both been missing for two weeks.”

“Sonic, Sonic, Sonic, give me more credit than that. I made sure before we left to leave plenty of notice that ‘Merlin’ was going to take his nephew on something of a field trip to South Island and that Sonic just happened to tag along for the ride,” the elder fox said as he opened the door to his ship, revealing that the trio were indeed on Mobius-firma.

“What if my Uncle hadn’t played along?”

“Trust me Tails, he strikes me as someone who knows when important events are going on around him.” Tails and Sonic quickly exited the ship which was once more camouflaged to look like Merlin Prower’s house. “Now, then, it has been a trying two weeks for all of us. I would suggest you two go do something relaxing and enjoyable while you still have the leisure to do it. As to me, I’m going to return this ship and then take a nice long nap so I can turn a few of my new gray hairs back to red.” With that, Nilrem shut the door to the cottage and left Sonic and Tails to themselves.

“You know keed, that sounds like a plan,” Sonic said as he turned to his two-tailed partner. “Whaddya say we go grab some chilidogs and relax over a movie?”

“Sounds most excellent, big bro,” Tails said as he latched onto Sonic just in time for the hedgehog race off at full speed. At one of the windows of the cottage, the aged face of “Nilrem” watched the two take off, a tired smile on his face. Inside, the façade of a perpendicular ship had disappeared, replaced by the cottage’s normal comfy interior, complete with a nice big armchair near the fireplace. With a few exhausted steps, “Nilrem” walked over and unceremoniously plopped himself down in the comfortable chair, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. A finger gestured lazily at the fireplace, igniting the wood therein to cast a gentle glow about the room. Before the fox mage could fall asleep, however, the sound of a throat being cleared came from right beside him.

“Hello Zonic,” Merlin said in an unsurprised voice at the hedgehog that stood beside him at a truly odd angle.

“Chief Acorn sent me to convey our thanks for your help in resolving the crisis we were facing,” said Zonic.

“It wasn’t a problem, I happen to have a soft-spot for that particular universe, so it was my pleasure to help.”

“I’d have to wonder if you’d have felt the same way if Tails Prime had been hurt while impersonating the Prince,” Zonic said, a hint of concern in his voice that all Sonics seemed to get in regards to any Tails. “There was a very real chance he could have been hurt, and you would have been the one who sent him there.” Merlin let out a tired laugh.

“You spend far too much time playing the hero rather than observing the world… or in your case the worlds, around you. It’s something of a character flaw amongst you blue, highspeed hedgehogs, albeit not a terrible one. I hold great faith that there are few dangers outside of this universe that my dearest nephew would not prove more than a match for.”

“He almost transformed on Garivald, did you notice?” Zonic continued. “What would you have done, I wonder, had he fully completed his transformation? I somehow doubt that reality would have survived.”

“You worry far more than any other Sonic counterpart I’ve encountered, do you realize that, and that includes the one from Litigopolis,” Merlin said as he finally turned his head to face Zonic. “Everything moved as the Ancient Walkers predicted. Tails was able to keep that reality from collapsing upon itself and you were in turn able to save Prince Miles from losing his crown. I’d say that, given the stakes, scaring that half-witted badger and his spider for a few seconds was a more than acceptable price to pay.”

“So the ends justify the means?”

“An interesting analysis from someone who basically tricked my Sonic into killing one of his own father’s counterparts,” Merlin said. Unable to respond to this, Zonic just stood still. “In any event, you are welcome. Now if you don’t mind, I would like a few hours of peace and quiet in which to take a nap.” So saying, Merlin closed his eyes. 

“You do realize that that argument goes out the window if either of those two realize you don’t possess a counterpart in the Perpendicular Reality… or any reality for that matter,” Zonic said in what could best be described as an attempt to get the last word. Instead of a response to his statement, however, all the inter-dimensional hedgehog heard was the soft sound of snoring. Sensing that he was no longer wanted, Zonic turned and left through his own portal, never noticing that the moment he had turned to leave, the elder Fox’s eyes had opened again as he continued to contemplate the fire before him.

***************************************************************************************************************************************THE END

Roll Credits to the tune of “We Are Tails and Sonic”

[[As the song ends, the camera iris opens up to reveal both Sonic and Tails standing before it.]]

Sonic: [[Still staring at audience and smiling]] Say g’night Tails.  
Tails: [[Smiling innocently]] G’night Tails.  
Sonic: [[Lightly striking Tails on the head with his fist as he lets out a short chuckle]] You dork.

[[Tails continues to smile and throws up a peace sign with a hand as the camera irises out.]]


End file.
